As the U.S. tightens restrictions on women’s reproductive health, the new season of The Handmaid’s Tale seems more relevant than ever. We look back on a group of women who broke sexual taboos in the 1970s, and how the fight over women’s bodies continues today.

Get our weekly newsletter

Reproductive Rights and the Women Who Sparked a Movement

Producer: Bonnie Bertram
Editor: Brian Kamerzel
Associate Producer: Sandra McDaniel

From breaking sexual taboos in the 1970s to “The Handmaid’s Tale” today: The fight over women’s bodies continues to resonate.

Click here for more information on the groundbreaking book Our Bodies, Ourselves.

Transcript

More Like This

Teaching Teens About Sex: The Decades-Old Debate over Abstinence-Only
Watch now
Teaching Teens About Sex: The Decades-Old Debate over Abstinence-Only

A decades-old battle is re-emerging over abstinence-only sex education.

How Black Women Fought Racism and Sexism for the Right to Vote
Watch now
How Black Women Fought Racism and Sexism for the Right to Vote

African American women played a significant and sometimes overlooked role in the struggle to gain the vote.

She Derailed the Fight for Equal Rights for Women
Watch now
She Derailed the Fight for Equal Rights for Women

Even in the #MeToo era, many people don’t know that the Equal Rights Amendment never passed…because of one woman. Her name is Phyllis Schlafly.

Born by Surrogate: New Paths to Parenthood
Watch now
Born by Surrogate: New Paths to Parenthood

Parenthood through surrogacy has become accepted in the United States, but it’s relatively unregulated compared with other countries – something that can be traced back to case of Baby M.

More on the Story

The Evolving Fight Over Women's BodiesThe Takeaway
Related Coverage
Amplifying the Personal and the Political in Pop CultureMs. Magazine
A Modern-Day Look at Our Bodies, Ourselves.Lenny Letter
With a Groundbreaking Handbook and a Dystopian Tale, Women Gain a VoiceThe New York Times