In a 2024 'Anthropology Afternoon’ session, Professor Angel Foster (University of Ottawa) presented on abortion care in the United States in the wake of bans, restrictions and the 2024 presidential election. The event was hosted by Macquarie University's Anthropology discipline and later broadcast on ABC Radio National - Big Ideas.

In 2022 the United States (US) Supreme Court overturned nearly 50 years of precedent and eliminated the federal right to abortion care. In the wake of this decision, 14 states banned abortion care in nearly all circumstances and others restricted abortion care in early pregnancy. Consequently, over one third of women of reproductive age live in states where abortion care is virtually non-existent. But in the summer of 2022, Massachusetts became the first state to enact a 'Shield Law', a law that protects providers, helpers and funders who offer abortion care either in-person or via telemedicine to abortion seekers throughout the US. In September 2023, The Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project (The MAP) became the first Shield Law practice in the US. The MAP is the end product of more than two decades of socially engaged, activist anthropology and health research and offers a case study in what an academic can do to improve people's reproductive rights and access to healthcare. It is now providing medication abortion to about nearly 2000 patients a month, 95% of whom live in states with abortion restrictions.

At this 'Anthropology Afternoon', Professor Foster discussed how this works, the patients using the MAP and what this type of care means for equity and reproductive justice. Professor Foster also shared an overview of the abortion landscape in the US since 2022 and told the story of the MAP as a way of showcasing the role of Shield Law providers in providing essential health services.