Welcome.

Greetings, you are likely here on the occasion of me moving my dormant newsletter to a platform that is hopefully much less accepting of Nazis. Or maybe you're subscribing for the first time, in which case it would be rude if I didn't introduce myself.

I'm Susan Rinkunas, and I'm a reporter covering abortion, reproductive health, and politics. I was most recently a senior reporter at Jezebel—I'm still freelancing for the relaunched site!—and my work has appeared in The Guardian, Slate, NBC News, Elle, Marie Claire, and more. I've also been on staff at Vice, The Cut, and a bunch of health publications where I got my start in media.

The blog is called Body Politic because I write about bodily autonomy and the people and powers that shape it.

Here are some stories of which I'm particularly proud:

The Abortion Stories We Don’t Talk About

A year after Roe was overturned, women who were unable to get abortions are giving birth to babies they weren’t prepared to have.

JezebelThe A.V. Club

Yes, Women Will Die After Roe–From Pregnancy

Abortion bans mean more people will be forced to stay pregnant, the very state of which puts them at great risk in America.

JezebelThe A.V. Club

Abortion Providers Allege ‘Blackmail-ish’ Behavior by National Abortion Federation

Providers say NAF tied the hands of Texas and Oklahoma clinic workers and made them do medically unnecessary procedures on pregnant people.

JezebelThe A.V. Club

Planned Parenthood Quietly Stopped Providing Abortions in Georgia and Alabama [Update]

Independent clinics have been “deeply impacted” by the move in a region with already dwindling access to reproductive health care.

JezebelThe A.V. Club

Angry Ex-Staffers Speak Out on ‘Pro-Choice’ Democrat’s Stunning Abortion Betrayal

“I wish I could say that she took a giant bag of cash at an IHOP and that’s why she did this—but it’s so much dumber than that,” her former aide told Jezebel.

JezebelThe A.V. Club

I've also written a lot about the absolutely cursed federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court, plus tons about politics and elections.

Are you into that kind of stuff?? Great. Here's what you can expect if you subscribe:

• Posts about abortion (which will never be paywalled)
• Posts about anti-abortion nonsense (also never paywalled)
• Intersectional writing on racism in healthcare for pregnant people and attacks on gender-affirming care (also free)
• If the previous bullet makes you mad, this newsletter isn't for you
• Writing on political fashion, as I have more to say about people who aren't Casey DeSantis (probably paywalled)

The vast majority of content here will be free, however, people who are able to support with paid subscriptions will be a big help to me, a person who was laid off in the fall and would like to be able to afford health insurance after mine runs out. Important note: I'd ask that anyone who's interested in a paid subscription but who doesn't already make a monthly recurring donation (however small!) to an abortion fund or practical support org, please give some money there first. Donations have dried up and these groups need your help more than ever. If you can swing a paid sub with me after that, great :)

You can become a paid subscriber right here. Thank you, thank you.

I'll be writing here at least once per week while I continue to freelance until some very smart outlet hires me to report on abortion full-time amid the 2024 campaigns. (Ahem, my email is susanrinkunaswrites [at] gmail [dot] com.)

Yes, that is a tweet. Here is another version of it on Bluesky. I'm desperately trying to use Twitter less, so you can find me on Threads and Bluesky at the handle @SusanRinkunas.

That's it for now. Bye!