New Episode of Ms.’s On The Issues With Michele Goodwin Podcast: 15 Minutes of Feminism: What the Heck is Happening in Texas?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | August 3, 2021

On the Issues with Michele Goodwin is a popular, issues and policy-focused podcast featuring feminist analysis, insightful conversations and exciting guests. This is the first podcast from Ms. magazine, a legacy feminist publication. In each bi-weekly episode, host Dr. Michele Goodwin and special guests will tackle the most compelling issues of our times, centering feminist concerns about rebuilding our nation and advancing the promise of equality.

A new episode—15 Minutes of Feminism: What the Heck is Happening in Texas? (with Rep. Donna Howard and Ms. Digital Editor Roxy Szal)—is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and MsMagazine.com.

In this episode, Dr. Goodwin unpacks the situation in the Texas legislature — from extreme GOP voter suppression and anti-abortion measures, to Democrats fleeing the state — with the help of Texas House Democrat Donna Howard, along with Ms. Digital Editor Roxy Szal, who’s been reporting on the ground from the Lone Star State. In just 15 minutes, they break down how the situation came to be so dire, what the mainstream media’s coverage is missing, and what happens next.

You can find a full transcript of the episode here, as well as a few excerpts below:

“This is an outrageous situation we find ourselves in—quite frankly, the Texas legislature was ramming through some very discriminatory policies that were going to actually create less of an opportunity to vote, when we are one of the lowest voting turnout states in the nation.” —Rep. Donna Howard

“The Representatives are trying to out-Trump each other because the demographics of the state are changing. The more you can focus on cultural issues, the less attention is spent on some of these failures that literally killed hundreds of people.” —Roxy Szal

“The most extreme of the Republican party has been able to select who is on the ballot, and by virtue of their being a one party state, that is the de facto winner in November in the general election.” —Rep. Donna Howard

Meet the Host of On the Issues: Dr. Michele Goodwin is a frequent contributor to Ms. Magazine and on MsMagazine.com. She is a Chancellor’s Professor at the University of California, Irvine and also serves on the executive committee and national board of the ACLU. Dr. Goodwin is a prolific author and an elected member of the American Law Institute, as well as an elected Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Hastings Center. Her most recent book, Policing The Womb: Invisible Women and The Criminalization of Motherhood is described as a “must read.”

About Ms. Magazine: Co-founded by Gloria Steinem in 1972 and published by the Feminist Majority Foundation since 2001, Ms. magazine has been a trusted, popular source for feminist news and information in print and online for nearly 50 years. Ms.’s time-honored traditions of an emphasis on in-depth investigative reporting and feminist political analysis have never been more relevant, bringing a new generation of writers and readers together to share news, analysis, research and strategies for fighting back and moving forward, for shaping the future.

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If you would like more information on the On the Issues with Michele Goodwin podcast, or to schedule an interview with Host and Executive Producer Michele Goodwin or Executive Producer & Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar, please email press@msmagazine.com.

Launched in 1971, Ms. is the most trusted, popular source for feminist news and information in print and online with a tradition of in-depth investigative reporting and feminist political analysis. Ms. is wholly owned and published by the Feminist Majority Foundation.