The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Alexis McGill Johnson - Bringing Women’s Bodies Back Into the Constitution

Episode Date: May 9, 2022

“What most people want is to not have a politician in their decision.” Planned Parenthood’s President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson discusses the chipping away of women’s rights and reproductive health access, and how the Women’s Health Protection Act would codify Roe v. Wade.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Please welcome, Alexis McGill Johnson. Welcome. Welcome. Thank you so much for having me. What a time to have you on. Everybody in the country has Planned Parenthood, I know many people are turning to you to say, what does this mean?

What does it actually mean on the ground? So right now it is still a draft opinion. On the ground, abortion is still legal. And I think that's really important, because there are people waking up every day who are going to health centers to get access to care. And their. and their. And their. And their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and th, and tho, and I tho, and I tho, tho, thi, and I thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi thi thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, thi, thi, thi, thi centers to get access to care. And there are already enough restrictions out there. So we have to remember that this is a moment where the final decision isn't in. What we saw on the ground as well yesterday was an intense set of demonstrations, of the rage that people have been experiencing over and over again,

and the frustration with seeing their rights being chipped away. When you look at that and you look at that fight, do you ever think that we could do a better job of maintaining a consistency in these fights for people's liberties as opposed to having it be an on-off switch. Because, you know, I know people have made record donations. I know there are people out protesting, etc. But if you look at conservatives on their side, it seems like they've been slowly chipping away. They slowly chip away. They plan way in advance, they think of which judges to get into which positions, and now it looks like they're going to reap the fruits of their, you know, of their labor. I'd love to know what you think, like, people who believe that women should have the right to choose what they're they they they they they their, their, their, their, their, their, their, to be, to be, to, to, to be, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to be, tho, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, thw, thw, thw, thw, thw, thw, thw, thw, thw, thw. thwwwwww. thwwwwww, thw, thin, thin. thin. thin, thin, throwne, throwne, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, toeeeiii. toeei. toea, throwne, throwne, th doing constantly as opposed to intermittently. Well, I think you're absolutely right to locate it like in what the long game is, right? That the opposition has spent 50 years fighting this,

but the last 12 years in particular, weaponizing, gerrymandering in states, focusing on justices all the way up to the Supreme Court. And at every turn, they have tried to essentially take more power in order to take more rights away. And it is not just access to abortion that they're coming for, right? We've heard them openly talk about access to contraception, marriage equality, interracial marriage, all the things of how we identify ourselves and our bodies is exactly what

the long game and the strategy is exactly what the long game and the strategy is. So our long game has to be just as relentless, right? It has to be just as strategic. It is not just about being in the streets. It is about capturing that rage and turning it into the midterms, you know, 222. We've got to make sure that we're turning people out. And we also have to think about, you know, the fact that they've kicked us out, the, the, the, th, th, th, th, th.... th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. that, that, that, that, that, the, thrown. thrown. thrown. thrown. that, that, that, that, th. th. th, th, th, th, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their. their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thr... thrown. thrown. throwne, too, toe, toe, too. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. saying, you are not equal, you cannot control your body. And so if anybody kicks you out of the Constitution, you've got to think about how you're going to get yourself back in.

When you think about this fight, I think a lot of the time people think about what they can do to stop the other side, or what they can do to fight back at what's happening. I I I I I think, I the think, I the their their their think, I their their, I think, I their, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, if thi, if thi, if thi, if thi, if thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, thi, thi, thi what they can do to fight back at what's happening. I think there's one thing that I found really interesting in particular between how many conservatives or Republicans think and then how many Democrats or liberals think and that is Republicans hold their own accountable in an interesting way. So they go either you're doing this or you out of the party and we've seen Trump do that, you know without fail. Is this something something something something something something something something something something something something something something something something something something something something something something something that people that people that people that people that people that that that that that that that that that that that that out of the party and we've seen Trump do that you know without fail. Is this something that people could be doing to put pressure on the

Democrats to say hey when we have voted you in we need you to solidify what we voted you in to do? Yes absolutely look there is a bill right now called the Women's Health Protection Act. Leader Schumer has, we'll take it up next week again with the Senate to vote on and what the Women's the women's the women's to to to to to to to to to the women's to to to to the women's the women's to be to be to be the women's the women's to be the's to be the's the's to be thoom. thoom. to be to be to be thoe. thoom. thoom. thoom. thoom. thoom. thoom. to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be. to be to be. to be to be. to be. to be. to be. I I I I I I I I I I's thee. I's thee. thee. thee. thee. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. th it up next week again with the Senate to vote on and what the Women's Health Protection Act does is it codifies Roe. It's the federal legislation that protects this right into law and you know getting people on record right? We don't have unfortunately we need to reform the filibuster in order to get it passed but at the same time we are going to be able to get people on record, hold them to account to your point, and that's our message, right? The reason you can't have what you

want, even though we have 80% of people believe that Rose should be the law of the land, the reason you can't have the things that you want is because you know essentially these states have, you know, only way to change that is through direct democracy. So we got a fight to get ourselves back into democracy. We also have to fight to get ourselves back in the Constitution and this legislation can help us do that. Let's talk about this legislation for a moment. You know, I always get frustrated and confused by why legislation in America has so many things added in. It's like a bundle. You know, I love the idea of codifying Roe v. Wade. You go, like, let's get women their rights. But then it adds in a few other things

that people can use as an excuse to fight against. You know, like, it affects waiting rooms. And correct me anywhere I'm wrong. It affects doctors in this way. And it affects athese things, it gives people an out where they can say, oh, I didn't vote for that because of this, not because I want women to have a choice, but I didn't like what it did to doctors or their waiting rooms or all these other ancillary issues that are going to affect people. So here's this data play right now. We have the law of the law. to. toe. toe. toe. I. I. I. I. I. It. I. It. toe. thereereereen. toe. tho. tho. thi. thi. thi. Ro. Ro. Ro. Ro. Ro. Ro. Ro. Ro. Ro. Ro. Ro. Ro. Ro. Ro. Ro. thoe. thoe. thoe. thoe. thoe. thoe. thoe. thoe. thoe. thoe. thoe. thoe. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. th. So. th. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. to. the. the. the. the. the. the. tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. the, technically, until the full decision comes down. And even with Roe being the law of land, even with it being enshrined in the Constitution,

states have put restrictions in over and over again, right? We've got a six-week ban in Texas that comes to the bounty hunter provision. We've got a 15-week ban in Florida and Arizona. We've had laws about whether or not someone will need to see the same doctor within a 72-hour period. The laws are all about shaming people. They're about shaming providers. They're about shaming the patients, about the decisions that they want to make about their own bodies. What the Women's Health Protection Act does is actually says,

all of these laws that are getting in the way of people being able to access the right, the federal right is, is those are laws... be banned. And that's what's important, right? The fact that even though we have the right now, access itself is so limited. And so that's why we're seeing the outrage right now because it has been not only this chipping away of rights, but also chipping away of access. Row was just, you know, the floor, right? As my reproductive justice colleagues would say, you know. When you thi th th th tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho that is just thate is just thoes are thoes thoes thoes thoes, thoes, thus is just thus is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just thi is just thi is just thi thi thi thi thi, thi, thi, that is just that is just that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, the is the, thea.. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea at branding, you know, there's no denying that any political messaging,

any messaging that's trying to mobilize society has to think about how it's branded. When you look at how people approve of or what, you know, the polling suggests about people's support of abortion throughout the United States, I have noticed an interesting trend and that is dramatically changes depending on how the question is asked. And it changes depending on where you say the abortion happens or how. So I think the overwhelming majority of people will say, they are pro a woman having the right to choose,

but in the first trimester. And then second trimest it almost becomes even, maybe flips it's, estate completely flips. Do you ever worry that maybe Planned Parenthood and organizations like yours that are fighting for women's rights to choose, do you ever worry that you may be losing the entire war because you're not willing to concede on some of the battles, or do you feel like you have to go for all of them at once even if you risk losing everything? You know, look, Trevor, no two pregnancies end in the same way, right? I mean, it is the reality that people will make decisions about their pregnancies, whether or not to continue them or to terminate them based on the circumstances in their own lives. And that is the thing that we really need to understand here.

You know, getting parsing out weeks and gestation, that is what the opposition is to create these wedges around understanding. What most people want is to not have a politician in their decision, right? As a, you know... Right? Right? You don't want them. You don't want them in your exam room. You don't want them in the conversation with you,

and your doctor. You don't want them the conversation with you and your partner, the end to the day, like that to me is the most important message that we need to be sending to people. The reason why it also needs to be a private decision is because it's only your business. And so, right? Yeah. That's good. Where's you from here? So again, we are, we'll be standing with the Senate next week when they take up this vote to support all of

those folks who support access to abortion codifying row. We will be channeling all of the rage through 2022. And then, like I said, we have a long game that we need to play around what it really means to have this federal protection enshrined in the Constitution. And I think that's really important because I think a lot about the fact that, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, th, th have this federal protection enshrined in the Constitution. And I think that's really important because I think a lot about the fact that, you know, what it means to be a leader at the time, you know, at the end of Roe as a leader of a reproductive rights organization. And I think the question we have to ask ourselves now is who are we going to be when we are

no longer defending Roe. How are we going to reimagine to re re re re re re re re re re re re re imagine and reimagine and reimagine and reimagine and reimagine and re and re and re and reimagine and re and re and re and re and create and create and create and create and create and create and create and create and create and create and create and going to reimagine and create an affirmative vision, right? Without stigma, the kind of provision that everyone should be able to have, the kind of health care they need to have in their own state. Not getting in a car, driving a thousand miles, putting your kids in the car and just to get, you know, access to basic health care. You deserve it in the state, you know, the state, regardless of your race, your, to, to, to, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. the thi. the thi. the thr. thr. thr. thr. thr. the the kind the kind the, the, the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, th and the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, the kind, thi. thi. thr. thr. thr. thr. thr. thr. throwne. throo. thean thean thean throan thean thean thean thean. the what Planned Parenthood stands for. That's what all the leaders in the movement stand for. And we'll be offering that affirmative vision as well. Thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate your time. To find our Bands off our bodies rally near you on May 14th, go to Bandsoff. Watch the Daily Show, Week nights at 11th, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus.

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