What Next

The State That Brought Down Roe

Mississippi voted down fetal personhood in 2011. In 2022, it became the state that flipped Roe v. Wade.

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Episode Notes

How did Mississippi go from resoundingly voting down a “fetal personhood” amendment in 2011 to being the state that brought down Roe v. Wade? Outsiders have long viewed the state as a potential fulcrum to overturn abortion laws in America, to the point where three different legislators introduced three identical bills to ban abortion 15 weeks after fertilization in 2018.

Guest: Ashton Pittman, senior reporter for the Mississippi Free Press.

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Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Elena Schwartz, Carmel Delshad, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Rubanova and Jared Downing.

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The problem with the news right now? It’s everywhere. And each day, it can feel like we’re all just mindlessly scrolling. It’s why we created What Next. This short daily show is here to help you make sense of things. When the news feels overwhelming, we’re here to help you answer: What next? Look for new episodes every weekday morning.

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  • Mary Harris is the host and managing editor of What Next, Slate's new daily news podcast. She has reported throughout the public radio system, for NPR, Marketplace, and WNYC.

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