Let's Talk About Abortion: Navigating the Post-Dobbs Landscape
July 29, 2026 6:00 pm
A frank Oakland conversation on abortion care, law, and maternal health
Wednesday evening at Local Economy, Oakland gets a serious but very human conversation about abortion care after Dobbs. The gathering runs from 6 to 8 pm, with refreshments and time for books and signing after the talk.
The room should feel more like a close community forum than a lecture hall. Local Economy is the kind of Oakland setting where people can actually listen, ask questions, and sit with hard topics without the usual noise.
The speaker lineup brings several angles into the same space. Megan Jeyifo of the Chicago Abortion Fund will speak from the front lines of abortion access. Dr. Khiara M. Bridges of UC Berkeley brings her work on maternal health and racial inequality. Dr. Shelley Sella, an OB GYN known for openly practicing third trimester care, adds a medical view that is often missing from public debate.
Also joining are Professor Michelle Oberman of Santa Clara University, whose work looks at abortion law from El Salvador to Oklahoma, and Kate Schatz, the New York Times best selling author of Where the Girls Were. Together, the group should make room for law, medicine, funding, personal stories, and the real life stakes for families.
If you care about reproductive justice, maternal health, or how stories shape public policy, this is worth making time for. It is also a good chance to hear from authors and advocates in person, pick up a book, and leave with more than headlines.
Join us for an in-depth conversation about abortion care, maternal health, reproductive justice, and the power of radical storytelling. Featuring Megan Jeyifo (Executive Director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, largest independent abortion fund in the U.C.); Dr. Khiara M. Bridges (UC Berkeley professor, author of Expecting Inequity: How the Maternal Health Crisis Affects Even the Wealthiest Black Americans); Dr. Shelley Sella (the first OB-Gyn in the U.S. to openly practice third-trimester, author of Beyond Limits), Prof. Michelle Oberman (Santa Clara University professor, author of Her Body, Our Laws: On the Frontlines of the Abortion War from El Salvador to Oklahoma) and author Kate Schatz (NYT-bestselling author of Where the Girls Were). Refreshments will be provided, and authors will be available to sell and sign books.