New Podcast Series “The Network” Highlights Latina-Led Movement for Abortion Access

For decades, women across Latin America have quietly shared a revolutionary method for safe, self-managed abortions, often outside traditional clinics and beyond the reach of restrictive laws. Now, their stories are being told in The Network, a new limited-run podcast series from NPR’s Embedded and Futuro Media’s Latino USA, premiering June 5.

Hosted by Victoria Estrada and Marta Martínez, both award-winning Latina journalists, The Network unpacks the history of this underground movement that began in 1980s Brazil, where abortion is still largely illegal. The series explores how women discovered that a common over-the-counter medication could be used to end pregnancies safely, and how this knowledge traveled across borders to empower women from Argentina to Mexico, and more recently, the United States.

“This isn’t the abortion story most people expect,” said Embedded showrunner Katie Simon. “It’s the story of how women around the world have taken control of their own reproductive health for decades, often without clinic support—and how those strategies are now deeply relevant in the U.S. post-Roe.”

Estrada and Martínez trace this network through deeply personal stories, talking with the Brazilian women who first experimented with the method, and the activists in Argentina and Mexico who turned it into a movement. These women built a support system, often through hotlines, WhatsApp groups, and word-of-mouth networks that crossed language, class, and national boundaries.

“Self-managed abortion with pills is more than a personal choice—it’s become a political act,” said Peniley Ramírez, Co-CEO and Executive Director of Futuro Media. “Understanding this global movement, led by Latinas, helps us better grasp where the fight for reproductive rights in the U.S. is heading.”

The series also examines the shifting landscape in the U.S. after the fall of Roe v. Wade. With clinic access becoming more limited, American women are turning to the same strategies Latin American women pioneered under even stricter conditions. Estrada and Martínez emphasize the resilience and ingenuity of these women, and the urgent need to share their stories.

The podcast’s release comes at a time when abortion access is increasingly under attack in the U.S., particularly affecting Latinas and other women of color who already face barriers to healthcare. The Network brings these voices to the forefront, highlighting how Latinas have not only endured but innovated, transforming reproductive rights activism around the world.

You can listen to the trailer now, and stream all three episodes starting June 5 wherever you get your podcasts. Embedded+ subscribers can binge the entire series early.