Four Years
Marking Dobbs, meeting the moment, and refusing to be silent.
Imagine being in a room where every person has a story they were never supposed to have to tell.
That was Washington DC last week, four years after Dobbs.
Storytellers came from all over the country — women with desired pregnancies who barely survived, mothers who are still mourning their daughters, husbands and children who lost their mothers, and so many others who were denied basic healthcare because politicians think they know better.
They don’t.
I was there with Free & Just, and I am still carrying what I heard. These are not abstract policy outcomes. These are people. These are families. These are the consequences of a decision that should never have been made.
More is coming — including a heartbreaking conversation with my friend Pat, who had an abortion in Mexico before Roe and lived to tell her story, finally, in her 70s. Stay with me on this one.
For now — a taste.
Doctor Day
I also had the privilege of joining physicians from every corner of Wisconsin last week in Madison for Doctor Day with the Wisconsin Medical Society.
The conversations were extraordinary — surgeons exploring options for cesarean deliveries in rural areas, family medicine docs navigating the closures of obstetrical units, public health experts fighting to improve access to trauma care across the state. These are the people on the front lines, and they showed up alongside elected leaders and a host of others to chart a path forward together.
This is the foundation of medicine in Wisconsin, and I am proud to be part of it, serving on the Council on Legislation and active with the Brown County Medical Society. Medicine is changing, and the Wisconsin Medical Society is rising to the occasion!
The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show
This week I sat down with Milwaukee County Executive and candidate for Wisconsin governor David Crowley, and I want to tell you something: this man does not stutter when he talks about abortion and reproductive rights.
He calls men into the conversation. He talks about healthcare not as a political issue but as a human one. And his Badger Basics plan — which addresses coverage and the social determinants of health in a way that is both thoughtful and holistic — deserves your attention.
David Crowley comes to this race as the candidate with executive experience. He’s built bridges across divides that others haven’t even approached. This conversation will show you exactly why.
Welcome to “The Situation Womb”
Four physicians walk into a podcast.
Dr. Erin Stevens, Dr. Chris Ford, Dr. Chelsea Daniels, and I have been waiting to have this conversation — and now we finally get to. The Situation Womb is live — available wherever you get your podcasts — and our debut episode does not ease you in gently.
This week alone: the Dobbs anniversary, Delaney Hall, sharing miscarriage stories on Instagram and everything in between. Four doctors. Different perspectives. Zero filters.
If reproductive health is your thing, you just found your new podcast. And if it’s not your thing yet — give us twenty minutes. We’ll change that.
The Situation Womb — the Committee to Protect Health Care’s reproductive health podcast, with Dr. Kristin Lyerly, Dr. Erin Stevens, Dr. Chelsea Daniels, and Dr. Chris Ford. Find more at the Paging America Substack.
What are you hoping we cover next? Let's hear it.
The Field Is Narrowing
For the second week in a row — this is a conversation you do not want to miss.
Dan Shafer of the Recombobulation Area, Kate Duffy of Motherhood for Good, Pat Kreitlow of UpNorthNews, and I keep things moving as the gubernatorial field starts to narrow and evolve. We dig into where the race stands, what’s shifting, and who’s emerging.
And yes — we also discuss Giannis’ trade to Miami, Milwaukee’s enduring love for the Antetokounmpo family, and a history moment that had Dan Shafer a little misty. He got me, too. It’s a moment. Don’t miss it.
Coming Up!
Next week, I’m taking a breath — and bringing you along.
🎶 Summerfest — “the world’s largest music festival” — is here!
⚾ Why the Brewers are more than baseball
💙 My friend Pat’s story — an abortion in Mexico before Roe, told for the first time in her 70s. I promise you: this one stays with you.
🇺🇸 and the Semiquincentennial, of course!
Until Then…
Four years of Dobbs. Four years of stories that should never have had to be told. And yet — here we are, still fighting. Still showing up. Still finding each other in rooms full of people who refuse to be silent.
That is not nothing. That is everything.
This weekend, though? Homemade pizzas and an ambitious attempt to convince the boys that yardwork builds character. Wish me luck.
If you want to follow along all week — and I hope you do — you can find me on Substack, YouTube, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, Bluesky, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Wherever you are, I’ll be there.
Kristin
haha — love that, “yardwork builds character!” Must be a difference between sons and daughters. My “girls” are like, “Dad, get out here and help us weed!!” But Good Luck, Dr.K! And enjoy the pizza!