In Conversation: On Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom

Kathryn Kolbert has had a long and distinguished career advancing women’s rights. In 1992, she made her second appearance before the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the landmark case that has been widely credited with saving Roe v. Wade. Roe v. Wade protected abortion rights and Planned Parenthood v. Casey unexpectedly preserved them, but reproductive freedom is now in dire straits. In the decades that followed, these rights have been gutted by restrictive state legislation, the appointment of hundreds of anti-abortion judges, and violence against abortion providers. Today, the ultra-conservative majority at the Supreme Court has activists, medical providers, and everyday Americans worry that we are about to lose our most fundamental reproductive protections. In Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom (Hachette Books) legal titans Kolbert and co-author Julie F. Kay share the story of one of the most divisive issues in American politics, and propose audacious new strategies inspired by medical advances, state-level protections, human rights models, and activists across the globe. Gloria Steinem praised Controlling Women as “Urgent and timely … Kolbert and Kay’s pressing, informative, and engaging book is leading the charge in the right direction.”

Julie F. Kay began her legal career at the Center for Reproductive Rights and has spent the ensuing decades developing innovative legal and policy initiatives to advance gender equality and religious freedom in the U.S. and internationally. Roe v. Wade protected abortion rights and Planned Parenthood v. Casey unexpectedly preserved them, but reproductive freedom is now in dire straits. In the decades that followed, these rights have been gutted by restrictive state legislation, the appointment of hundreds of anti-abortion judges, and violence against abortion providers. Today, the ultra-conservative majority at the Supreme Court has activists, medical providers, and everyday Americans worry that we are about to lose our most fundamental reproductive protections. In Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom (Hachette Books) legal titans Kay and co-author Kathryn Kolbert share the story of one of the most divisive issues in American politics, and propose audacious new strategies inspired by medical advances, state-level protections, human rights models, and activists across the globe. Gloria Steinem praised Controlling Women as “Urgent and timely … Kolbert and Kay’s pressing, informative, and engaging book is leading the charge in the right direction.”

Dr. Dara Kass is an associate clinical professor of emergency medicine who practices at Columbia University Medical Center. She is a nationally recognized leader in gender equity in medicine, and has become a leading voice during the COVID-19 pandemic, with regular appearances on TV and in print.