#1819 Coerced Sterilization, Abortion Bans, and the New Pronatalism: Who Controls American Reproduction (Transcript)

Air Date: 8/29/2026

Today we examine what happens when the state wants to decide whether a person reproduces. A century ago, American courts sanctioned the forced sterilization of women deemed unfit to reproduce. 60 years ago, a communist dictator ran a pronatalist experiment with disastrous results. Now, abortion access is collapsing and a new pronatalist movement is rising to wreak havoc.

Full Show Notes

Transcript

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Buck V. Bell Part 1 - 5-4 - Air Date 5-26-20

KP 2: Fannie Lou Hamer - Who Did What Now - Air Date 3-5-26

KP 3: Erika Cohn - Belly of the Beast Part 1 - Bitch Talk Podcast - Air Date 1-27-21

KP 4: Explaining This Moment of Pronatalism Part 1 - rePROS Fight Back - Air Date 6-16-26

KP 5: If Roe Was Never Enough, Why Was It Everything (And a Word to My Boom! Lawyered Fam) Part 1 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 6-11-26

KP 6: Explaining This Moment of Pronatalism Part 2 - rePROS Fight Back - Air Date 6-16-26

(00:50:53) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Update on Recovery From Work Burnout

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DEEPER DIVES

(00:55:30) SECTION A: EUGENIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

A1: Buck V. Bell Part 1 - Stuff You Missed in History Class - Air Date 8-20-25

A2: Buck V. Bell Part 2 - 5-4 - Air Date 5-26-20

A3: Buck V. Bell Part 2 - Stuff You Missed in History Class - Air Date 8-20-25

(01:19:19) SECTION B: COERCED STERILIZATION TODAY

B1: The Dark History of Forced Sterilization - Breakthrough News - Air Date 10-21-20

B2: We're Still Here with Simon and Julie - The John Fugelsang Podcast - Air Date 6-21-25

B3: Erika Cohn - Belly of the Beast Part 2 - Bitch Talk Podcast - Air Date 1-27-21

(01:40:32) SECTION C: POST-DOBBS LEGAL BATTLEFIELD

C1: The Voters Have Spoken Protecting Reproductive Freedom Through Ballot Initiatives Part 1 - rePROs Fight Back - Air Date 3-31-26

C2: Return of the Abortion Pill Wars - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 5-16-26

C3: Uncertainty Is a Given Litigation Post-Roe Part 1 - rePROs Fight Back - Air Date 7-28-26

C4: The Voters Have Spoken Protecting Reproductive Freedom Through Ballot Initiatives Part 2 - rePROs Fight Back - Air Date 3-31-26

C5: If Roe Was Never Enough, Why Was It Everything (And a Word to My Boom! Lawyered Fam) Part 2 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 6-11-26

C6: Uncertainty Is a Given Litigation Post-Roe Part 2 - rePROs Fight Back - Air Date 7-28-26

(02:33:29) SECTION D: PRONATALISM, STATE-DIRECTED REPRODUCTION IN REVERSE

D1: Pronatalism Make America Procreate Again Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 3-27-25

D2: Why Do Musk and Vance Want More US Babies - BBC News - Air Date 10-8-25

D3: The Lost Children of Romania's Ceaușescu Dictatorship Part 1 - FRANCE 24 English - Air Date 2-14-25

D4: Findings From the Bucharest Early Intervention Project Early Life Deprivation Charles A. Nelson - UCTV - Air Date 12-14-19

D5: Pronatalism Make America Procreate Again Part 2 - The Global Story - Air Date 3-27-25

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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