"If you want to get something done in Congress, people say you go to Diana DeGette." In this episode of My Body. My Pod., Mini Timmaraju sits down with Rep. Diana DeGette, co-chair of the Congressional Reproductive Freedom Caucus and one of the most effective reproductive freedom champions in Congress, to discuss the plan to restore abortion rights nationwide.
"If you want to get something done in Congress, people say you go to Diana DeGette."
In this episode of My Body. My Pod., Mini Timmaraju sits down with Rep. Diana DeGette, co-chair of the Congressional Reproductive Freedom Caucus and one of the most effective reproductive freedom champions in Congress, to discuss the plan to restore abortion rights nationwide.
From passing Colorado's landmark clinic protection law as a young state legislator to helping secure House passage of the Women's Health Protection Act after Dobbs, DeGette has spent decades building the relationships, experience, and political power needed to move legislation forward.
Now, she's looking ahead.
DeGette shares what Democrats hope to accomplish when they regain control of Congress, including restoring abortion rights nationwide, repealing Hyde restrictions, protecting access to reproductive health care, and pushing back against attacks on birth control and bodily autonomy.
Along the way, she reflects on the evolution of the Democratic Party on abortion rights, why reproductive freedom is inseparable from economic security, and what gives her hope in this moment.
Their conversation focuses on a central truth: progress depends not just on ideas, but on the ability to turn them into law. As DeGette puts it: "If you don't have the votes, you don't pass the bill."
In this episode:
• The plan to restore abortion rights nationwide
• Why repealing the Hyde Amendment remains a top priority
• How Colorado became a model for reproductive freedom policy
• The behind-the-scenes effort to pass the Women's Health Protection Act
• Why reproductive freedom is also an affordability issue
• Court reform, Supreme Court ethics, and protecting fundamental rights
• Why Congress, the courts, and the citizens all have a role to play
Despite the onslaught of attacks on our fundamental freedoms, DeGette remains optimistic, pointing to the power of people already taking action—protesting, voting, and holding elected officials accountable: "Abortion is our health care right. We will get to where we need to be."
Episode recorded on June 10, 2026.
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