The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned decades of federal protections for abortion rights.
The decision came as a blow, if not a surprise, to many working in abortion care. People like Renee Chelian.
Her life’s work has been giving women an option to end a pregnancy, but she might not be able to do that work in Michigan much longer.
Chelian runs the Northland Family Planning clinics in Metro Detroit, which have provided abortion services since the first clinic opened in 1976.
Her career in abortion care was inspired by her own experience obtaining an illegal abortion in Detroit in 1966. She was just 15 at the time. It was a dangerous procedure that took place in secret.
Michigan Radio’s Sarah Cwiek and Detroit Free Press editorial columnist Nancy Kaffer talked to Chelian about how that moment that changed her life forever.
Today’s episode was produced by Rachel Ishikawa and April Van Buren.
Reporting from Sarah Cwiek and Nancy Kaffer and editing from Sarah Hulett.
Music in this episode from Blue Dot Sessions.
