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51% #1612: How COVID-19 Affected A Regional Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood of Greater New York President and CEO Laura McQuade
Planned Parenthood of Greater New York President and CEO Laura McQuade

On this week’s 51%, the CEO of a Planned Parenthood in New York says the COVID-19 pandemic brought out more protestors, and female film students want a more accessible path to directing.

Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, like other health services organizations, responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by relying more on telehealth. Planned Parenthood was deemed an essential service and has remained open throughout for in-person visits. New York has been reopening different regions in phases. I spoke with President and CEO Laura McQuade bout the pandemic, abortion access and more, including protests outside its centers. The interview was recorded before protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

From #OscarsSoWhite to #MeToo, the American film industry has been struggling to demonstrate its commitment to equality. Nowhere is that more clear than with the current state of affairs for female directors. The latest study from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative showed that male directors outnumbered women 20 to 1 in the top grossing films of the last 13 years. But at the University of Southern California, in one of the nation’s premiere film schools, one student production is making waves. Cate Young has more.

This story is part of an ongoing collaboration between PRX and the USC Annenberg School of Journalism in Los Angeles. Principal photography on "Spit It Out, Margo!" wrapped before LA’s lockdown began. With post-production happening remotely, the fate of Ella’s film is still up in the air. 

That’s our show for this week. Thanks to Tina Renick for production assistance. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock. Our theme music is Glow in the Dark by Kevin Bartlett. This show is a national production of Northeast Public Radio. If you’d like to hear this show again, sign up for our podcast, or visit the 51% archives on our web site at wamc.org. And follow us on Twitter @51PercentRadio

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