E07: Rachel Wells - TN’s Reproductive Healthcare Crisis
Standing Tall with Gloria Johnson
Rachel Wells: TN’s Reproductive Healthcare Crisis
Air Date: 08/18/2026
Guest: Rachel Wells, independent journalist and founder of TN Repro News
Host: State Rep. Gloria Johnson
CONTENT NOTE: This episode discusses child sexual abuse by a former elected official (public record, not graphic in the retelling), reproductive healthcare restrictions, medical mistreatment of pregnant patients, and sexual violence in general terms.
Episode Summary
Gloria talks with independent journalist Rachel Wells, founder of TN Repro News, about what's really happening to reproductive healthcare in Tennessee: real patient stories, the crisis pregnancy centers now teaching sex education in schools, and a new state-church data-sharing initiative most Tennesseans don't know exists yet. They dig into cases of patients denied care under Tennessee's Medical Ethics Defense Act, the maternal mortality crisis driven by rural hospital closures, and what it actually looks like when reproductive policy reaches into everyday life far beyond the headlines. Gloria and Rachel also share how they first connected years ago through advocacy work, and close with what's giving them both hope heading into the next election cycle.
Topics Covered
How Gloria and Rachel first met, during 2019 protests over a state legislator credibly accused of sexually abusing students (the legislator was protected and re-elected by his caucus at the time)
Rachel's path into reproductive justice reporting, and her framework of reproductive justice as encompassing more than abortion access alone (safe housing, clean water, freedom from violence)
Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) and new state legislation allowing them to be the only organizations permitted to teach "family life education," including content about human trafficking now extended into elementary schools
A 2020 Tennessee law restricting LGBTQ adoption that also resulted in a Jewish couple being denied the ability to adopt a child they were fostering
A real patient story: a woman denied prenatal care under Tennessee's Medical Ethics Defense Act because she was unmarried, who had to cross into Virginia for care
Maternal mortality, rural obstetric care deserts (nearly 60% of TN counties lack an OB or maternal care at their hospital), and the economic burden of traveling for care
The "Human Flourishing Initiative," a new state program partnering government services with faith-based organizations, including data-sharing concerns Rachel is actively investigating
Misinformation among some legislators about how birth control and IUDs work, and organized efforts (documented on tape, per Rachel's reporting) to eventually target hormonal birth control
A "Monument to the Unborn" installed on Capitol grounds, and Rachel's critique of the disconnect between anti-abortion messaging and actual family support policy
Closing thoughts on hope: growing male engagement in reproductive rights advocacy, and religious communities pushing back against Christian nationalist framing
Follow:
Rachel Wells: TN Repro News (Substack): https://wellsrachelm.substack.com/ | Website: wellsrachelm.com
Gloria Johnson:Instagram | Threads | FacebookOrganizations Mentioned:
Planned Parenthood
Healthy and Free Tennessee
SisterReach
SisterSong