Welcome to Louisiana lefty, a podcast about politics and community in Louisiana where we make the case that the health of the state requires a strong progressive movement fueled by the critical work of organizing on the ground. Our goal is to democratize information, demystify party politics and empower you to join the mission, because victory for Louisiana requires you.
I'm your host, Lynda Woolard in our final interview of 2024
in a year of bonus episodes, I'm honored to speak with Caitlin Joshua, an organizer, wife and mother and over the last year, a central figure on the presidential campaign's reproductive Freedom tour.
Caitlin's story of her miscarriage in the Louisiana hospitals that denied her care in the wake of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision has become well known. We discuss it briefly here, but if you haven't heard that story in its entirety before, I'll include a link to previous reporting on it in the Episode Notes. We go on to discuss the presidential election adjustments that are needed to achieve more successful electoral outcomes, the new Reproductive Health Organization she's co founded, and the work that lies ahead,
far from backing away or accepting defeat, Kaitlyn is ready to continue to fight for reproductive freedom and for Louisiana. And I feel like that's a really good energy to be taking into 2025
Kaitlin, Joshua, thank you so much for joining me on Louisiana. Lefty, excited to be here. Thank you. We know one another just through different organizing groups in Louisiana. And I was thinking today, I believe you've been involved in, well, I know you've been involved with many of the groups we've actually interviewed representatives for here on Louisiana, lefty, so you've got deep roots in a lot of our great community organizing groups. Yeah, yeah. I always say I'm super blessed to do the work and have been able to experience the host of different issue areas and be able to, you know, study and understand a great deal of the plight that the communities across the state, Louisiana face though I love, love what I do. Well, let me ask you, Caitlin, what was your political origin story or your community or origin story that made you decide to get involved in the way that you are with Louisiana and the work in Louisiana?
Yeah. So actually, it was, it wasn't until I got to college that I became extremely intrigued by grassroots organizing, or just kind of determined to understand certain issues. Technically, I didn't get really involved in political organizing or grassroots organizing until the summer of 2016 It was also the summer of Elton Sterling, and I found myself, you know, running behind truck beds and, you know, evading arrest and trying not to get sprayed by, you know, the police officers that were definitely, you know, using, what is it like the gas to be able to get us off the streets, you know? And so it was in that moment that I kind of realized, Oh, my God, like people are hurting folks, that communities are divided. I've always been privileged and pretty blessed. You know, my parents always were able to put foot on the table we didn't really want for much. And while I always saw them, you know, going to the voting booth and being civically engaged, I myself was not really inspired to get engaged until that summer. And so I graduated the summer of 2016 as well as you know, that was also really big year for Baton Rouge, when it came to the 2016 flood, and so just all these different things that kind of, you know, ebbed and flowed, in which the way community came together was divided and had to come back together. And I've been really, you know, immersed in the culture of organizing ever since. And was supposed to be on the track to medical school, and did not go to medical school that summer of 2016 instead, in the fall, I decided to kind of put my name in the hat for a job at a law firm. It was an a law firm that also dabbled in environmental law, and in the next summer, literally started working for Maria Harmon and Benjamin sucker in stefa, Louisiana. So that was kind of my track to political organizing. So tell me a little bit more though about what brought you to this moment. And I guess you've kind of given your mini bio already, but you've had a really pivotal role this year in some key issues. First, your story became.
Am a really big story in our state, as a story of reproductive rights and a reproductive justice story. And then that also
springboarded you, which is kind of weird term to use in this particular case, but it you started working on the presidential campaign, first Joe Biden and then Kamala Harris. So can you talk a little bit about that journey as well? Yeah, and what a wild journey has been. The so I've always, you know, organized from through the lens of community, getting community, you know, the the tools and resources they needed to be able to advocate upon themselves, advocate alongside them. But two years ago, I kind of found myself in in kind of the middle of a healthcare crisis, and that experience being denied healthcare, which I never thought would happen to me a day in my life. And although I knew as a woman of color, as a black woman, we have the most starking statistics when it comes to black maternal health, whether it's fetal mortity rates or maternal morbidity rates. I knew these things were true and that they were happening in real time, but never in all my years had experienced adversity with my physician's office or my primary care doctor, and so I found out I was pregnant in the summer of 2020, excuse me. 2022, excuse me. And was over the moon, excited with my husband and I, we kind of planned this out because my daughter was almost four at the time, and we wanted our kids to kind of have that age difference. And I went to make an appointment with my provider's office, who I had a really good relationship with, and unfortunately, they told me, hard stop, hey, we're not going to be able to give you that appointment until you're 12 weeks, you know, pregnant. And I hated that answer, so I called several different hospitals around Baton Rouge, but everybody said the same thing, we'll see you at 12 weeks gestation. So I remember putting my, you know, information on the books. And unfortunately, that was new, based on new that was new, that was new. And, I mean, it's so crazy, because I kind of like going back a little bit. I was at the Capitol, of course, for work when I was, you know, kind of keeping up with the different, you know, back and forth between Republicans and Dems on the abortion ban and, like, kind of what that would look like. And of course, like we all are familiar with, or most of us are familiar with, the historical context around how Louisiana, you know, kind of got in play for a trigger van to be ready to go when Dobbs decision came out that summer. And we all knew the writing was on the wall, but I just never thought I would find myself, you know, in the thick of it, right? And so immediately, when my physician would not give me or the providers schedule, or would not put me on the books at four weeks pregnant, and I had done it previously with my daughter, it had no problem. I mean, actually found out about my daughter at the at the doctor's office, and so was used to kind of that open door policy, and that, you know that convert that open conversation with my position, but it was immediately like, Oh, nope, you can't talk to him. We're not even putting you on the books to 12 weeks. And that was new. And looking back position, different practices will say, you know that, you know they didn't change their policy, they just kind of changed their practice. But either way, you put it like it was dangerous, and it's my understanding, it's still happening around around the state of Louisiana, which is really disappointing. But all that to say, I did not make it to 12 weeks pregnant. Right at 11 weeks I started experiencing miscarriage symptoms. Went to a hospital in Baton Rouge, was told, you know, we're praying for you, after they did a workup and would not verify whether or not I was having a miscarriage, sent me home saying that, you know, we're gonna continue praying for you if things get worse, which, of course, they did, you're more than welcome to come back the next day when I was right at 11 weeks, because the day before I was 10 weeks and six days, and I remember thinking, oh, you know, I, you know, worked my little my little girl's birthday party over the weekend. I'm probably just experiencing, like, some stress, not, you know, not mis caring. And when I went to that second hospital, the physician comes in the room after I've, you know, spent some time with the ultrasound tech, and she said, I don't think you were ever pregnant. Are you sure you were ever pregnant? I was like, ma'am, I have, you know, kept up with this for over 10 weeks. At this point today, I'm actually 11 weeks in one day. And I remember her staying straight, you know, straight faced with my to my mom, to my husband, this just looks like a fifth to me, you I don't think you're pregnant. And so left there like falling crying in tears, and unfortunately, was not able to get the care I deserved at any point during that miscarriage. And it took me right under two months to fully pass that pregnancy. And ever since then, I've found myself advocating as hard as I possibly can on the issues of reproductive rights, specifically through the lens of the abortion ban and its direct implications on maternal health care. And I think that's the one thing we keep trying to help folks understand like this has implications on basic maternal health care. Is not just about abortion care. And so the Biden campaign heard my story from several different, you know, media outlets, CBS, 60 minutes, and a few others I'd shared it with and asked me to come aboard for the reproductive freedom tour. And I said, Absolutely yes. And it was a wild ride. It was a very daunting experience as well, because you meet so many 1000s of women across this country who are dealing with the exact same thing. I mean, it literally.
Be at 20 weeks pregnant, having to cross state lines for abortion care because their high risk pregnancy, or, you know, the fetus is no longer viable. And like you, take those stories home with you. And fast forward to November 5, like just really feeling in that moment that, you know, we've done all this work, traveled over 20 states. And you would like to think, you know, we did change hearts and minds. And I really do feel like we did. I have no regrets there, but it also has helped me understand how much work we have left to do, which is really very hard to accept at times. You know, you were front and center often in the these presidential campaigns, and I believe, because it was two right, right, the Biden campaign, but I mean, you spoke at the Democratic Convention, and you really became the face, or you. And there was another woman who, Amanda, yeah. That was become my best friend, Amanda zaraski, out of Texas, yeah. And you both had, was her story similar to yours, like, you know, hers are similar, but, you know, and not to put like, you know, any any like, specific contrast on it or comparison rather, but Amanda's Every time she's told that story we've been together, probably have done 6070, appearances at this point, and even when she still tells the story tomorrow, and I'll see her tomorrow at the White House, like it, she went through sepsis twice, like she literally subject shocked twice, and It still wasn't enough for her state to say, okay, like, the first time. Wasn't that for her state to, you know, say, Okay, we gotta intervene. And just like hearing that women are begging their Supreme Court to live like, what are we doing in 2024 and so, yes, you know, definitely considered a privilege and an honor to be front and center for that campaign and really trying to help people connect the dots and understand how storytelling is the way that we're going to move the needle on this subject, and move the needle, you know, in this space. But for now, again, like one thing we learned, and Amanda and I had a little debrief ourselves, like the day after the election, as we like boohoo, crying, you know, we kind of had to take a step back and realize, you know, we're not necessarily screaming in the ether, right? I don't want to say that we know we're screaming in the void or, you know, but one thing we do have to work on is getting to the other side. Because one thing that's very clear is, like our stories have not made it so, you know, to the Conservatives over the, you know, the hard conversations at the Thanksgiving dinner table did not happen. And so I think that's one thing that we are kind of challenging both of us, both of ourselves to kind of, you know, make sure that we are having those hard conversations. Help people understand how important those intimate moments, those folks that trust and you have relationships with you, those are the ones that really need to hear how you feel about abortion care. I think that's and that was one of the struggles that I heard young women in particular, speaking so much about their heartbreak, about this election and how they felt like for them the day after the election, they knew how much their lives would be impacted by the result of this election, and the other side of that was they saw their male counterparts at school, universities, work, or whatever, that
felt like there would be no change for them. Yeah, yeah, yeah, such an impactful decision the country made on women to have. And I think you're right, though about the stories not reaching. And this is something that I've been researching you know almost every day since the election, is that those,
you know, we call em echo chambers, but really they're vacuums in a way, right where it's just these stories, like your story, that is so powerful and can make people understand the importance of having better laws protecting women and women's health that is not reaching
at least half the population. And I can distinctly remember one of the times when I was just back, when I watched cable news that they were doing,
they were doing sort of man on the street interviews, and they were interviewing a woman in Michigan who made the point that, well, our we're already protected here. Our state's protecting us. I don't have a uterus anymore anyway, so what do I care about this? And I was like, what I mean that is such a myopic it is the issue. And it really it hurt me, like I felt physically hurt hearing her say that. And I was like, I mean, and this was a woman who was a Democrat and was clearly should have been one of one of our people. And I'm like, I mean, she's talking that way, like we really are not reaching people with the stories they need to hear. So two things, I think it's the stories are important and the best way to reach people. So, so much more impactful than data or, you know, tech speak, but it's also just those stories will have to reach the right people and reach everybody. So yeah, yeah, I'm right there with you. Actually had a guy from.
High School DM me the day after the election, and I hadn't done anything on social about it at that time, and I remember him saying,
you know, Caitlin, like you advocate for abortion care, and that's not of the Lord, and that's why y'all lost, right? And I knew in that moment, even though, like, I was personally offended, like in that moment, I took that opportunity to to really kind of, you know, I guess, trying to back on him. And I think I said something along along the lines of, have you not heard my story at all? Like, Have you never read it, never listened to what I was saying? Did you only kind of come, you know, come to the conversation with your own preconceived notion? And he was like, Well, what is your story? And then that's when I realized, oh my god, like we spent six, seven months. You know, we're hitting the ground hard. Try again, trying to help people connect those dots. And to your point, it wasn't happening. And so that is the work, right? That is the work for the next four years, really doing, you know, as much as we possibly can on the ground to do storytelling. And like you're saying about the woman in Michigan when we would go to battleground states, that was everybody's kind of take on abortion care. We're safe, we're good. And to that, I say two things. One, how unfair is it to just think, you know, as long as we're afforded the opportunity, we're fine, like, that's terrible that we operate, you know, with that, you know, with that self interest. But then secondly, if we would always, often say on the campaign trail, if Trump was put back in office, which he is going to be president again, what is a national abortion ban mean to you? Literally, you're not protected. And so that was one thing we tried to get you know, as many people as we possibly could, again, in those battleground states that consider themselves safe, or any of the states that aren't the 22 that have an abortion ban, that it doesn't matter if you're safe right now, we have to think about the future. And unfortunately, again, that was something that you know, paled in comparison to what the right was spitting out. You know, what's your take on the difference between organizing within the state and organizing at that more national level? Yeah, um, I would have to say it's quite different. Um, and I, and I, you know, not to put my own state down, and I'm not going to do that, but more so I feel like, in a lot of ways, Louisiana, Texas, it's kind of like ground zero, right? Like where we are obviously on the books for not having the most robust sexual education, not having an opportunity to really, you know, intervene in childhood, as to what on people's perception of abortion care to begin with. So I think it's a little different organizing in the deep south than it is in like a Michigan or a New Hampshire, or, you know, Nevada or Arizona, like when we went to those states, like even kids, like we're able to, you know, spew off the importance of reproductive health care. And so for me, it's a little bit more fast paced national which I loved, if I'm honest, but also taught me just again, like things kind of gave me some notes, gave me some tools and resources to take back to my own state. Everyone else's playbook in the states that are doing such a great job with being able to pass these ballot measures, we've seen what 19 ballot measures on abortion care in the last several years. 17 of the 19 have made it all the way. And so what does it look like to get, you know, an opportunity to even have a ballot measure in Louisiana, and again, maybe that's part of the work as well, but it was definitely completely different from what I'm used to, in terms of the pace in which we had to go to engage community on the national level, compared to what I do in Louisiana. And has your experience, and not just your personal health experience, but your experience through this year on the campaigns has that made you decide to hone in more on the reproductive health issue? Or do you have other thoughts in mind of what you want to do? You know, I love that you asked me that question, because I've been thinking about this a lot and for, you know, for the last several months, kind of just talking back and forth with my husband and praying about it, honestly, about what about what, what are the should trump and kind of, for us back then, it was If Trump were to get back in office, like, what is the one thing that I want to work on that I think I can hone in to your point and, like, get really laser focused on what I can make impact on in the next four years. And for me, it's reproductive health care, and, of course, like, and a lot of folks think I'm, like, so crazy, because, of course, I have, like, a day job that's separate from that, but I spend, like, all my time, all my, you know, anytime I get by myself, any opportunity for, you know, for extra time, I focus on reproductive health care, and it's become my baby so much so I've recently signed my name to a project called abortion America. And the goal with this organization that I've launched with Cecile Richards and Lauren Collins Peterson is to storytell, to tell tons of stories like mine, like a man does, like the 1000s of women that we met on the campaign trail. Because again, we know that that is where the work is. We know that's what works to your point from earlier data does not it is what really sticks with folks. What really resonates is storytelling. And so that's what we're going to be doing. We filmed a little bit in Louisiana, filmed in Florida. We're heading to Texas next, and we'll see where this goes. But I'm really excited to be able to kind of take this baby, if you will, and like, keep growing it and making it something tangible for folks to to use in their own states, to their.
Advantage, whether we're talking policy or storytelling, you know, or just kind of bringing up those conversations that haven't been had by a grandparent or, you know, or an auntie, and so we're really excited to be able to do that work. One of the things that I've been thinking a lot about when when we talk about trying to get through to people, and
I've heard folks complain that, you know, Kamala Harris supposedly had this vaunted ground game that didn't work. But,
and I did get to volunteer for the campaign up here in Wilmington, fellow her a little bit towards the end, so I could see some of, some of the inside, not, certainly not wasn't there long enough to give any kind of full descriptions of anything.
But what I do know is that it was a short campaign with a lot of money coming in really fast, and a lot of volunteers coming in really fast, and
ground games, inherently are something you ramp up, that you start early and you ramp up. So when you're just throwing money and people out and saying, like, go talk to people, I that That, to me, always felt like that's going to be really unwieldy. That's going to be great, that we have this money and all these people, but that's going to be really unwieldy. And I came into those this work back in the Obama days, when the notion was
it's about your neighbors essentially being the people that knock on your door
to you, because you have some bit more trust in that person. So like to me, for Louisiana specifically, where, like, a Fox News is so much more of a
watched. And I mean, I guess that's anywhere in the country, but Louisiana in particular, Fox News is a very popular channel. And so to me, the only way to overcome that, like we're not going to get inside those media spaces for those people, but we can get people from the community to speak to people in their own community, and that that, to me, was sort of what was missing this year, not through any fault to the campaigns. It was just a function of of how this campaign was,
but long term, it really feels like building those community groups and those neighbor to neighbor conversations, is got to be part of the solution. Am I
just still thinking in a novel, quaint time that we're no longer in, or is that still where you see ground, ground to be made up 100%
like we've got to get back to that right? Because, if there's one thing this campaign has taught us, and like, without even, like, getting too emotional about it, but like, one of the things that the campaign has taught us is we can't, you know, you know, pop up a celebrity or like, you know, that does not to your point. It does not resonate with folks, nor does it influence them any more than, you know, some random stranger, right? Like it just doesn't. And so I will share this so for like, a local measure, a couple weeks ago, I had a meeting at my house, and I invited my entire neighborhood, and I, I'll be honest, I kind of just bought this house, and so it was kind of a mean greet with my neighbors, but then also an opportunity to talk about this 2% tax, right, that we were voting on in Baton Rouge and so many my neighbors came and it I was, you know, kind of chatting with them. We had the, you know, the common factor of having kids around the same age. And, you know, they were vibing together and all this to say, they left there confident on what on the information I was able to provide the experts that I brought, what I gave them in their hands and like immediately sent that to family members, immediately talked to other neighbors that could not make the meeting, and I think that is the only way to really win. And for whatever reason, I didn't see it during the time of the campaign, but apparently Trump was doing things like that that we did not see right, like making people of color feel important, making, you know, neighbors and family members feel like they were had a connection, which was, you know, the Trump campaign, which emboldened the, you know, regular, typical, hard working American and like, I don't know how we didn't see it then, but it definitely was, again, to your point, not a part of the campaign, but certainly something that we can learn from, and that we need to learn from quickly. Because even just seeing these local races in Louisiana the last few weeks, the mayor's race in Baton Rouge, like the 20% turnout for the runoff, like we are completely disconnected from our communities, and we've got to rethink how we think about grassroots. I don't think even you know, watching folks knock on doors in Arizona and Nevada, like it didn't matter that they came from New York or all these other places to be able to do that. It did not fit well with folks. Nor did it feel like community to them. And I think that a lot of folks that may have said that they were going to, you know, vote for her, or, like, felt confident in the way that the campaign moved. That was the kind of the missing piece and so all that to say we've got to get back to the drawing board. I don't think.
The way people taking information post COVID is the same. I don't think they, you know, kind of getting through the disinformation, misinformation of social media is a whole other thing, something that I don't think we necessarily looked straight on with the campaign, right? I don't I saw the day after Kamala boss, an ad that Elon Musk had put up in Michigan that was pitting Palestine versus Israel, like people of Palestine and folks that are of Israeli descent against each other. And I was like, oh my god, we never even acknowledged it's right. Like we never even, you know, some of the disinformation had to be talked about, and it wasn't for what, for whatever reason. And I think looking back, the campaign would probably say we probably should have acknowledged a little bit more and and one thing I did take note of is when, you know, Tim walls was picked as the VP candidate, and he came out, like, really strong, really bold, saying things like, Oh, they're so weird about being in your bedroom. They're so weird about being in the doctor's office with you. People love that. Like it felt like their uncle in their face telling them the truth at the cookout, right? And when that got scaled back, you can see the ratings got scaled back, the amount of folks that were really resonating with Tim walls or resonating with the campaign, the campaign as a whole. And I think being bold and extreme is important, even if you're on the left, right and in a healthy way, obviously not the same way that the extremists are for the Republican Party, but I think that's something we've got to walk in, and we've got to own. So grassroots strategy absolutely has to change, and the way in which we talk, the rhetoric, the calling out, you know, of the disinformation, is so extremely important to winning campaigns, to winning elections, excuse me. And I mean, I think one of the other lessons is while so in Louisiana, we're forever wanting money to be able to do this work. So yes, we need
more money invested in Louisiana, but we can also see from the campaign that money itself is not sufficient. There's a lot of talk now about going back amongst some of the old school Democrats are talking about going back to precinct captains and all this local thing. And I think that's really important. But the other side of that coin is Democrats have relied on a lot of volunteer labor for a long time. And I do think there's gotta be some point where we say, well, you know, maybe people should be paid for their labor. Absolutely, yeah. If you want consistency, if you want results, you've gotta pay folks. It just is what it is and like. And of course, considering the times that we're living in inflated prices, like folks, do have to think about their households first. But you do want those dedicated individuals that are invested in this work as much as we are, and so I think we definitely have to take that in consideration.
So I do want to ask you about though, or
you have since had another child, since you're so you you were able to go on and get an addition to your family. Yeah, I sure was. And I will say this, Lynda, like I understand my privilege and that I because, I mean, one thing that really just hit me hard was the amount of women I've met whose fertility have been compromised for the rest of their lives because they weren't be able to weren't able to get abortion care. And yeah, my husband and I were able to get pregnant, literally, the next year. Had my son last year. Now I did, and I've shared this a couple of times with folks. I did have him in New Orleans. I was not comfortable going back to the same healthcare system that I knew would not, you know, take care of me if I needed abortion or needed some type of reproductive health care, like an emergency care, like an accentuating circumstance or high risk, you know, you know, anomaly, or something of the sort. And I wanted to make sure that I researched my physician, so I literally took the liberty of driving to and from New Orleans every single month. And so we had baby Liam, and delivered him in New Orleans with my doctor, who's also Lauren, and my daughter is Lauren, and things just kind of worked out perfectly, but also understanding women should not have to do that much to get the adequate queer that they deserve. And so, yeah, we've definitely, definitely been able to, you know, be blessed in that factor. Well, I mean, I have to imagine there is some anxiety about, oh yeah, dying again. Oh yeah, certainly, absolutely, and it he was actually not planned. And I remember my mom saying, Are you sure you want to go down this road again, like you just did this a few months ago, and she saw me struggling with that miscarriage, and I know that she she certainly was concerned for my health when we announced that we were expecting Liam. But I always say I cannot blame folks that they don't, you know, sign up to ever do that again, or don't ever want to do it like I have it. My own twin sister has kind of gone back and forth on whether they want to have children because of just how dangerous it is, because of the, you know, the way in which the laws in which we live under and so that's definitely a factor when people are planning their families or not these days, and you're still both. You and your sister are still in Louisiana. They still are. Yeah, that is a big question people are struggling with, though, as to whether or not to stay there if they're wanting to,
you know, start a family Exactly, exactly. And we, I mean, and I'll be honest with you, we've gone back and forth on it, I think.
You know, a lot of our friends from college and high school would say, Oh, my God, you always go there, but always say, everything that I love is in this state, and I am committed. I'm invested, and we're going to fix it,
you know, till we get the state we want to live in. Well, I mean, I love and Louisiana is worth fighting for just I will say that it is a wonderful state, and I, you know, miss it every day. We miss you for reasons I'm not there, but so. But you, you talk to me at one point in time though you were interested also in trying to do some voter turnout stuff. Is that something still interested in? Oh, absolutely, I do that. I literally had a team for the last two elections, like, in my personal capacity, just had a team knocking on doors. Have, you know, having those hard conversations, serving at the doors, trying to get people out to vote. And so that will always be my always say my mission and my, you know, my mission and my goal in life is to increase voter turnout. And to, you know, I know a lot of times people say apathy. I hate that word. I like to say, like, voter fatigue, because it is voter fatigue, right? Like, the amount of times that we vote in Louisiana is just excessive, and it's exhausting. And I imagine it's even more exhausting for folks that just feel completely disenfranchised and so into I'm actually having a strategy session, Session first of the year to get as many groups together as possible to figure out what the next few years look like. How can we increase and turn out and meet people where they are because they're not feeling heard? And I think that is valid. And one thing that people often forget about in say, Louisiana, we still have the largest formerly incarcerated population in the country. That's still a barrier for folks, even if they have had their rights restored, there's still a lot of barriers to being able to actually vote. And so that's another thing that I want to work on with my friends that vote and some other parole project, and a few others that are working on getting better access for formerly frustrated persons. And just, heck, I can count family members of mine who called me on election day like, Oh, I thought I could just, you know, go to my parole officer and she'd sign off on it, because I meet all the requirements. And know, like, it's still very much, you know, some disconnect there, and some work that we have to do in order to increase and work on GOTV, is there anything else about the state or national politics you wanted to talk about before we kind of pivot to the last three questions I ask. I know you had some strong feelings about the most recent elections, and you're not required to talk about them, but if there's something you wanted to discuss about that, that's fine too. It's wanted to give you the opportunity. Oh, yeah, I know you're fine. I'll discuss all the things. But as far as national or state, like, I mean, obviously, you know, everyone's feeling that the fact, if you live in Louisiana, you don't, you know, we don't have a Supreme Court, we don't, we don't have the, you know, the White House we, you know, don't have a governor that is progressive. Or, in my case of, you know, our mayor, you know, is not progressive, our mayor elect is not progressive. And it feels very, very difficult in this moment for lack of a better term. And so I know we've got a lot of work to do. But again, I kind of want to just encourage and implore as many people as I know that do this work, whether it is, you know, as part of your day job, or if it is something you do in your personal capacity, to keep the faith, but also get hyper focused, like, Don't burn yourself out, right? And so I am deciding that the national politics, kind of the state level politics, is what it is like. What can I do local for the next four years to really make impact in my community? And I'm hoping other people will do the same, very good, very good. Well, let me ask the last three questions. I ask a version of every episode, and I told you that we maybe because of your focus right now on reproductive rights and reproductive health, reproductive justice. Let's focus on that. What's the biggest obstacle in Louisiana right now for reproductive health? Yeah, I would have to say, well, one, gosh, there's Which one, which obstacle Am I going with? Right? So I'll choose the obvious one, right? The state's abortion ban still needs to be cleaned up. You know, Republicans have said repeatedly, there's nothing wrong with the ban. A new friend of mine named Tabitha Crowe just came out. Her story dropped a week ago, talking about her experience at St Cambodia hospital not being able to get health care when she was here, visiting from Florida. But her family lives here, and she was trying to get an abortion at 11 weeks, actually. So she was exactly 11 weeks, just like I was, and I've connected with her and it just, you know, hearing and seeing in real time like this ban really is still an issue, and women are still being turned away in the most dire of circumstances. And so what does it look like to again, go back to the state legislature this upcoming session and really advocating on that ban and pushing hard and bringing as many women as we can that have been impacted or loved ones that want to advocate on their behalf, because we don't expect, you know, women or pregnant persons to do it themselves, or impacted women to do it themselves. And so really, you know, honing in on that issue and not giving up. And then secondly, the most egregious law that has been passed since last legislative session was the, believe it was SB six, and it.
Is the law that basically prevents mifepristone or creates Mr. Mifepristone or misoprostol being considered as protective class or substances that are dangerous, and alluding to this idea that women are using these medications as a result, physicians have had to put these two medications that are used mind you, for postpartum hemorrhaging, excuse me, and biopsies and other very important medicinal reasons. And unfortunately, it's, you know, kind of causing physicians to have to go through several different hoops to be able to get the okay to use these medications, prescribe these medications, get access to them when they need it the most. And one thing that we're fearing and we're already seeing, and I'm happy to see so many physicians have come out against this, a terrible law that went into effect on October 1, unfortunately. And physicians have basically been saying, you know, we're going to lose women as a result of this law. And that is another opportunity for Republicans. It kind of honestly, Lynda was a red herring. Came into play last legislative session as a bill that's just going to prevent, you know, husbands, spouses, significant others, from potentially drugging the pregnant person. And you know, an issue with all due respect that was not an issue of Louisiana. This actually took place in Texas, but the young lady came several times and sat alongside her Senator brother, who brought the bill, and it was passed, and it quickly became a bill that is stopping women and physicians from being able to get access to these very important medications that save lives. And so we are pushing back hard on that one. I've actually joined a lawsuit to sue the state on that and we're hoping that we can get as far as we can to clear up that language and then ultimately get this lost drug down, or at least water it down to the point where it doesn't have any impact to physicians, especially because we're already seeing pharmacists saying, I cannot give this out. And you know, what does it look like to live in a rural parish where you already are traveling far to get to an OB GYN, and then also being told you cannot get access to this medication when you get back home or to your local pharmacy, and God forbid, someone's mis caring or needs this medication in real time, not able to get it, and bleeds out like that is a very real possibility. And I'll note that Texas has already filed for that bill to be passed or to be heard, and then passed this legislative session. And so it looks like we'll be going to Texas too, unfortunately, working with our allies out there to try and stop it. And so it feels like every year, another bill, another, you know, becomes a law, and then we're faced with, you know, kind of,
you know, not even being able to just acknowledge the ban that we have, but then also these other, you know, potential laws that are going to affect us in the long term. And then ultimately, my biggest fear is that we'll lose the one that we know, or, you know, I've got several girlfriends who are pregnant with twins, and it's like I would hate to, you know, know, someone that has faced adversity as a result of not being able to get these medications, or physicians not being able to practice in their full capacity. And so those are just two laws that are we are fighting hard against, and I am, again, all about storytelling. And so I want to continue to to empower and embolden women in my state, to be able to share their story, if they want to, you know, support them on whatever that looks like, and figure out what we can do to kind of push back on the Attorney General and the governor's, you know, constant rhetoric and narrative that this is not there's nothing to see here. There's no issues here. These are all lies which is not true and is harming women. I think some of the stories that so the the media is so important, and I think you have to pivot and start supporting media that's actually reporting on this stuff. Most of the
the old media that we used to maybe read or listen to that really aren't stepping up and, you know, in the breach and filling in on these really important stories. But the the two things that came to mind as you were speaking were the stories about hospitals having to lock up those drugs, so if they need them urgent, urgently, the like the nurses are having to do drills to how quickly can I go get this drug if I need it urgently, for a woman who starts bleeding out or whatever? Yeah, and so those kind of stories are really important that are reported so that folks know how, like,
I mean,
everybody has a mother, you know, or a wife or a daughter, or like, so this, this, these, this will impact someone in your life at some point, absolutely, absolutely. And so you should want them to have the safest health care they they can. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then the other side of that is those stories that they've had to go dig up. ProPublica has been doing a great job of digging up those stories of the women who have died, and it isn't a story, you know, it's not being reported by the state agency. So Republic ProPublica has to go then find that story. So it's months later by the time we actually find out about it. And yeah, those stories are so important. The.
Is reports are so important for,
yeah, absolutely. And I always say, I'm so like, I'm awaiting the day where ProPublica, you know, dives deep on Louisiana, because it's coming. You know, they've done a lot in Texas, lot in Georgia, and so we can, we can get ready that they're probably going to also do a deep dive on Louisiana healthcare and maternal health boards, etc.
Well, all that said, What do you think are the biggest opportunities for us to get better healthcare for women, better reproductive healthcare? Yeah
right. Yeah right. I think one thing that I'm liking what I see Lynda and something I've not seen in you know, I'm 31 but in the years that I've been here in Louisiana,
when you said media, I will say one thing that I noticed 10 years ago, media would have never touched a lot of these abortion issues. So to see, even if they get backlash right, like I've seen, you know, the Ag or the governor called out different media outlets for publishing certain stories, for highlighting certain people, you know, pushing back on the narrative. But it's, it's the truth, it's, you know, vetted resources. It's, you know, vetted stories are coming out left and right in Louisiana. And even, you know, I've seen journalists kind of get beat up on on, you know, how they're reporting and doing such a good job of keeping up with the reproductive health care space. And that brings me hope, right? Because at the end of the day, without media, we wouldn't be able, you know, to make our way on, you know, the coffee table in the mornings, and it's, you know, to someone's desk who wouldn't necessarily pick this up or google it themselves. And so I am looking forward to being able to share more stories and work with media to be able to do that. And then also, I feel like people are finally awakening, waking up to the Louisiana Legislature and the way in which they kind of wheel and deal, you know, all day long as we're, you know, away working or not paying attention for whatever reason, because we have full lives, or we have kids or we have jobs and, you know, and rightfully so. But I think one thing that has come out in the last few years is like, if you've got five, five, you know, days out of the week during the entire legislative session, where you can go down at least once to be able to, you know, testify or lend your voice or educate yourself on how your legislator is voting, I feel like people are getting more civically engaged. And yes, we've got to help them, kind of, you know, be civically engaged, 364, and then vote that, you know, those that other day out of the year. And so we've got to do the work to make sure we're doing both. GOTV and civically engaging, help people understand or see themselves in both. But I have seen folks, kind of, you know, get more warmed up to the idea of coming down to the Capitol or lending their voice to their local governing body, which plays an important role, or, you know, they're getting a relationship or developing relationship with their senator or their representative, and those are important things too. So I think those are opportunities to really push back opportunities kind of work across the aisle with other groups that claim they care about life or the right to life, but have not been doing the work to be able to make sure that that's actually happening. And so we'll do what we can, you know, we'll identify allies, keep it moving, and, you know, build coalition to be able to support some of the laws that I'm talking about and some of the laws that we need to kind of strike down or make not so vague as they say. And so those are a couple opportunities. I wish there was more that I saw, but I think those are tangible things that we can do in the next several years that can really change a host of lives, right or across the state of Louisiana. It's such important work, and I appreciate your remaining optimistic about it and remaining engaged in the fight for it, because it's so important right now, is that that, yeah, that work continue and that people don't lose hope, right? Absolutely, absolutely. Um Caitlin, who's your favorite superhero, um Lynda Maximoff,
I'm a Marvel head. My husband loves Marvel, and he, when we first started dating, like 10 years ago, he got me into Marvel. And I love any I want a vision, anything Scarlet Witch. I love her. She's great.
Well, that's a great answer. And that's
Well, thank you so much for spending time with me. And one last thing I'm going to tell you, that I'll that, I'll tell everyone, is that the big thing so the Tiktok ban is eminent. Now, a lot of content creators and organizers and so the one thing I'll say is that as you're planning to do this organizing, just don't forget that you need to be able to get people's phone numbers and email addresses so that you can contact folks outside of those Facebook and Twitter and all those either billionaire owned spaces or spaces that could be taken away from us at any time. So the good old phone trees and all of that kind of stuff are are going to be important in the next.
Workers, I think I'm so glad you brought that up, because it's so true and it's something that I need to be intentional about, like, now, right? And not relying on Google Sheets,
but instead, like, you know, getting back to the old school pen and paper and, like, getting folks information and creating databases outside of social media. So I will definitely do that. My big word for the year 2025, is analog. Okay, I love it. Old school. Caitlin, thank you once again. I really appreciate your taking some time out of your family holiday hours. So thank you so much for spending some time with me, of course. Thank you for having me anytime you take care. Thank you for listening to Louisiana lefty. Please follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Thank you to Ben Collinsworth for producing Louisiana lefty. Jen pack of black cat studios for our super lefty artwork and $1,000 car for allowing us to use their swamp pop classic security guard as our Louisiana lefty theme song you.
