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Is political cowardice keeping abortion legal? | In conversation with Chris Smith

Jul 1, 2026 · 41m

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About this episode

What does it actually cost to spend nearly five decades defending life on Capitol Hill? Mary Margaret sits down with Congressman Chris Smith, co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus, to trace a career built on hate mail, death threats, and legislation most Americans have never heard of. Smith authored the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 — the law used to convict Ghislaine Maxwell and nearly 5,000 other exploiters — and its follow-up bill has already died twice in the Senate. On abortion, he cites a study finding nearly 1 in 10 women suffer serious complications from the abortion pill, and argues the silence around it isn't caution, it's a cover-up nobody in power wants to answer…