When the justices heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the landmark abortion case, one word came up more than any other: viability. The viability line was at the core of Roe v. Wade, and it’s been entrenched in the abortion rights movement ever since. But no one seems to remember how this idea made its way into the abortion d ... Show More
Jun 2023
Part 2: If Not Viability, Then What?
<p>Now that the “viability line” in pregnancy — as defined by <em>Roe v. Wade</em> — is no longer federal law, lawmakers and lawyers are coming up with new frameworks for abortion access at a dizzying rate. In this second part of our series, More Perfect asks: what if abortion la ... Show More
35m 24s
Sep 2024
Why is the voting age 18?
<p>For most of our nation's history, the voting age was 21. So how'd we get it down to 18? In one sense, it was the fastest ratified amendment in history. In another, it took three decades. Our guide to the hard-won fight for youth enfranchisement is Jennifer Frost, author of <a ... Show More
36m 16s
Oct 2024
The World's First Constitution
The world's oldest oldest continuously surviving constitution, was adopted in the tiny country of San Marino on 8th October, 1600.
This was a good 187 years before the United States adopted its own constitution and, during his presidency, Abraham Lincoln frequently held San Mari ... Show More
11m 48s
Jul 2017
Episode 21, Thomas Hobbes's Political Philosophy (Part I)
<p>Everything you could need is on www.thepanpsycast.com! Please tweet us your thoughts at www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast. Few political thinkers can be considered as influential as Thomas Hobbes. Published in 1651, Hobbes's most famous work, the Leviathan (or The Matter, Forme an ... Show More
37m 13s