Louisiana advocates Alanah Odoms and Maggy Baccinelli on motherhood and reproductive justice
Alanah Odoms and Maggy Baccinelli, longtime friends and colleagues at the ACLU of Louisiana, sat down to reflect on their work in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade being overturned. Both mothers and advocates, they discussed how the state’s abortion ban has heightened the challenges they already face in their fight for reproductive justice. For them, this work goes beyond abortion rights—it intersects with mass incarceration, economic inequality, and the broader struggle for racial justice.
Balancing their roles as mothers with their advocacy work, Alanah and Maggy spoke candidly about how their daughters inspire them. Maggy recalled a conversation where she tried to explain abortion to her five-year-old, Ruby, emphasizing the importance of bodily autonomy in a way that a child could understand. For Alanah, her nine-year-old daughter, Elan, has been involved in protests and advocacy from a young age, and Alanah hopes to instill in her a deep sense of agency and freedom.
Both women highlighted how essential it is to center marginalized communities in the fight for reproductive justice, particularly Black women and those most affected by systemic oppression. They stressed that without economic stability, reproductive rights are often inaccessible, noting the critical connection between guaranteed income and the ability to make choices about one’s body and future.
Their conversation was recorded by StoryCorps Studios as part of the Abortion in America series, which documents the impact of Louisiana’s abortion ban. This project was produced in collaboration with Glamour and the Newcomb Institute at Tulane University.
Embedded within the choice to become a parent, or to decide when you become a parent, or if you become a parent at all, is at the very heart of designing your destiny. It’s the thing that has the greatest impact on your destiny and your future, on your entire existence.
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