PREVIEW: Interview about Texas's abortion bill

A few weeks ago, when I wrote about the new anti-abortion law in Texas, I was inundated with reader responses.

As you can probably guess, the replies ran the gamut from fascination to fury to accusations of my biases (in both directions, actually). Many of them ended up producing engaging and thoughtful email threads where I got to discuss one of the most contentious topics on the planet with passionate readers.

Among those exchanges, one email in particular stood out: It was from a reader who told me they had a connection to John Seago, the legislative director for Texas Right to Life, the anti-abortion group that helped craft and pass Senate Bill 8, also known as Texas's heartbeat bill. This reader asked if I wanted an introduction, which — in journalism — is sort of like someone dropping a bag of cash into your lap. You usually have to work and pester and fight to get those kinds of interviews, so I happily accepted and they helped me set up a time to talk with Seago.

As many of you have probably gathered by now, and as you'll see in this interview, I have some pretty run-of-the-mill "pro-choice" views. But I also fancy myself as open-minded and skeptical, and I've been known to change my views, both marginally and in big ways, on topics that mean a great deal to me. Seago, for his part, struck me as a thoughtful messenger from the pro-life side, and a person who — like many Tangle readers — feels "politically homeless." In our interview, for instance, he noted that he sometimes feels as if he'd be a Democrat if abortion was taken out of the picture, but the Democratic party's hostility toward the pro-life movement leaves him working with Republicans in Texas. So I tried to enter our conversation being as open-minded as I could.

I know this issue means more than most to many people. I also know, for women in Texas, the stakes couldn’t be much higher. And I'm keenly aware of the fact that two men discussing this bill in a vacuum is probably going to rub some people the wrong way for obvious reasons. But I talk a lot in Tangle about the need for us to be able to engage across party lines and across political divides, even on the most difficult topics, and so this is my attempt at walking the walk.

In today's subscriber's only post, you'll find a full transcript of our conversation, which spanned about 45 minutes. It's been edited lightly for clarity, and to shorten up this piece in places where things were repeated or points became redundant. If you'd like to gain access to it, you can subscribe now and then go to our website to read it.