Press "Enter" to skip to content

Amiya Mehrotra | 2022 Summer Fellow

Weeks 10-11: Final Projects, Receptions, and Goodbyes

These past few weeks have been quite eventful! On July 27th, my team at Population Connection attended a reception to celebrate the recent introduction of the Abortion is Healthcare Everywhere Act (S. 4641) in the Senate. After countless hours and calls spent discussing this Bill, it was nice to gather with a team as passionate about these issues as I and celebrate this accomplishment. The reception also represented the first time that our entire team had the chance to gather in person – I had the opportunity to speak with members from the Senate offices we contacted, managers at different D.C. lobbying firms, and executive members of organizations with similar missions such as the Human Rights Watch. Population Connection’s mission was also furthered through recent current events during the last two weeks. On August 3rd, Kansas citizens voted to continue to protect abortion in the state’s constitution. This vote was particularly consequential for numerous reasons, including that Kansas is a conservative and reliably Republican state as well as the fact that this was the first vote on abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. This result exemplifies the fact that the majority of the American public does support abortion, even in heavily conservative states. Population Connection took this vote result as a small victory, however, recognized that there is still much more work to be done. Therefore, I also spent time drafting numerous action alerts that Population Connection will send to both constituents and Senate offices to further promote our political agenda. 

As my internship wraps up, I’ve taken the time to reflect on what I have gained from my experiences working both on the Hill and on Population Connection’s Government Affairs team. Prior to this internship, I did not have an understanding of how lobbying worked or what the process entailed. However, working with Population Connection’s Government Relations team not only exposed me to the details of the legislative process, but also taught me how to work within that process to make an impact on issues that resonate with me. Furthermore, my experience on the Hill allowed me to contrast the different sides of lobbying and taught me how to most effectively advocate for a particular issue area. Finally, in both of my experiences, it was inspiring to be around a group of people as passionate about the same issues that I am and fighting to make a difference. I am incredibly grateful that the AGS Summer Fellows Program enabled me to pursue summer experiences in the heart of dynamic policy work. Thank you for following along my summer journey!

Week 9: Preparing to introduce the Abortion is Healthcare Everywhere Act

What a busy time! Next week, the Abortion is Healthcare Everywhere Act (S. 4641) will be introduced in the Senate. It’s been quite the journey to get here. The Bill was drafted and ready in mid-June, however, close to the initial introduction date, our original Senate sponsor had concerns about the Bill. At this point, we had two options: either postpone the introduction of this Bill by several months, or find another original sponsor for this Bill. We had a short list of other Senators who might have been willing to sponsor this legislation and quickly mobilized efforts to reach these offices. Ultimately, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), later joined by Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) agreed to introduce this Bill into the Senate. The next step in this process was to reach out to other Senate offices to find original co-sponsors for this Bill – the more co-sponsors we have at the time of its introduction, the more of a chance the legislation ultimately has of being passed due to the increased support. The external team working on this bill included numerous organizations, such as Population Connection, Ipas, and the Center for Reproductive Rights. Thus, we split a list of 49 Senators with a history of supporting this type of legislation amongst the different organizations, and I was responsible for reaching out to the offices assigned to Population Connection over the course of this week. This project was particularly interesting because it gave me insight into the legislative process and more specifically, the role that lobbying firms play in the ultimate success of particular legislation.

Week 8: Creating a “Congressional Report Card”

Population Connection’s lobbying work is multi-faceted. While lobbying for certain bills constitutes a large part of the effort, the organization also has a PAC that endorses candidates whose views particularly align with Population Connection’s mission. In other words, Population Connection endorses candidates that vow to and have proven to effectively fight for reproductive health rights as a central aspect of their agenda. Each representative’s voting history is a central component of the research that goes into supporting different candidates. Furthermore, compiling this data can help Population Connection mobilize more efficient and localized campaign efforts. Thus, this week, I worked on creating a “Congressional Report Card” that will illustrate how different representatives voted for reproductive rights legislation over the past two years. In doing so, I spent hours combing through voting data on Congress.gov to build a database that included every representative’s vote for recent legislation that relates to our cause. 

As expected, the majority of candidates voted along party lines for these issues; however, there were a few key candidates that varied their voting based on the specific bill that was being voted on. Working on this project exemplified some of the points made in an article that I recently read titled “The Vanishing Moderate Democrat” – the majority of moderate Democrats refuse to vote against party lines. The same is true for moderate Republicans, leading to a stalemate in which essential Bills do not get passed, or get passed on one side (ex: the House) and not the other (ex: the Senate).

After collecting this data, I organized the voting information into a spreadsheet that was visually navigable – the goal was to create an accessible and comprehensive resource that could be published on Population Connection’s website. This tool would help inform voters about how to cast their votes based on different issue areas, including reproductive health rights. This project will also be published in Population Connection’s magazine later this summer.

Independence Day

July 4th is always a special event, but being in the nation’s capital during such a holiday makes it all the more momentous. During any day of the year, it is easy to think about the rampant political polarization that plagues our government. I especially felt this during my time as a Hilltern – I noticed that the culture promoted judging other interns based off of their political party even before any substantial conversation was even had. The “moderate democrat” or “moderate republican” did not exist – each person was simply placed into a category of “liberal” or “conservative” and groups were formed. However, on Independence Day, thousands of people of all affiliations pour into the streets of the nation’s capital, identifying only as Americans.

This day is particularly special for those who work on the Hill, because they have the privilege of being able to sit on the Capitol steps with a direct view of the fireworks alongside other staffers. The day is spectacular – there are food stalls on every corner, music blasting, and spontaneous dance circles in virtually every park. The city is decked in red, white, and blue, with a sense of spirit and passion that I can only compare to what I have witnessed before a big Duke basketball game. Overall, I enjoyed spending the day laughing, dancing, and gazing at fireworks bursting over the Washington Monument alongside my co-interns.

Weeks 6-7: Grappling with a post-Roe reality

The mood in the office this week was solemn. While everyone had known about the Dobbs Supreme Court decision weeks prior to its official release, the gravity of the decision still weighed down on everyone in the office. I took the time to carefully read through the opinion, which was largely identical to the previously leaked draft, to fully understand the scope of the impact. I also joined numerous calls dissecting specific passages. Much of the majority opinion centers around the question of whether abortion can be considered alongside other privacy rights, which are part of citizens’ fundamental right to liberty. The 14th Amendment, which was ratified in 1868 as one of the Reconstruction Amendments, reads that a state cannot deprive a person of their liberty without due process of law. However, this amendment does not specifically list privacy as an aspect of liberty, nor does it specify what this privacy may entail. Thus, Justice Alito argued for a distinction between abortion and other privacy rights because, amongst other reasons, it does not have a “deeply-rooted foundation in this Nation’s history and tradition.” This reasoning is very much reflective of Justice Alito’s position as an originalist, meaning that he understands the Constitution as a fixed text as opposed to believing in a living constitution. However, as Justice Breyer, Kagan, and Sotomayor jointly pointed out in their dissent, the notion of grounding fundamental rights in the nation’s history and tradition is deeply consequential and expands far beyond the issue of abortion: by this logic, interracial marriage should not be legal because the ratifiers of the 14th Amendment did not believe in this right. Ultimately, the majority opinion concludes that abortion is not a fundamental right protected by the U.S. Constitution and is thus liable only to the lowest standard of judicial review, which would allow states to easily repeal abortion access. Much of the reasoning in this decision reflects the inconsistency of the Court, be it in the selective nature of applying certain judicial frameworks in different cases or more broadly, the incompatible Court rulings on this issue within the past 75 years.

Population Connection also hosted a call with Dara E. Purvis, a professor at Penn State Law and member of Population Connection’s board, to explain the decision and its consequences on the landscape of female reproductive health rights. Professor Purvis warned that states will likely try to pass laws preventing women from crossing state lines to obtain an abortion and restricting access to medical abortions and abortion pills. The decision also calls into question the Court’s other substantive due process precedents, opening the door to the regulation of pregnant people, LGBTQ couples, and anyone with the desire to marry. Therefore, this grave situation calls for national action.

Since the Dobbs decision came from the highest court in the land, it is no longer a matter of lobbying for abortion to be considered a fundamental right; rather, Population Connection must now ponder how to reverse the negative consequences of this decision and expand access to abortion services. President Biden spoke about steps that his office would take to mitigate the repercussions of this decision, such as by protecting the right to travel freely across state lines to receive abortion care. Meanwhile, I have been working with Population Connection’s government affairs team to create and identify Bills that would further this mission so that we can refocus our lobbying efforts. More specifically, I have been working with Population Connection to help pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would make abortion legal for all women in the U.S., and connecting with Senate offices to seek co-sponsors for the Abortion is Healthcare Everywhere Act, which would repeal the Helms Amendment and replace it with language that explicitly authorizes U.S. foreign assistance to be used for comprehensive reproductive care.

June 24, 2022: Dobbs Decision

Today, the Supreme Court released an opinion ruling that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, thus overruling Roe and Casey and granting purview over women’s reproductive health rights to the state. Even before the official release time, the increased police presence outside of the Supreme Court revealed that the decision would be released today. When the Supreme Court did issue its ruling around 10am, Population Connection’s response was swift. We published a statement both condemning the decision but also calling the American public to action. John Seager, the president of the organization, made a $100,000 donation from Population Connection to the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF). We then hopped on a call with the Planned Parenthood Action Fund to discuss next steps. Many activists on the call were understandably upset, but others brought hope and calls to action. This moment was not a surprise, and our network of activists was prepared to both comfort one another and put in the work to keep channels of access open. Our Advocacy and Communications team launched a social media campaign to inform the public of the detrimental impact this decision will have on American women and national health. Finally, we mobilized to show our perseverance and outrage by protesting outside of the Supreme Court. We will not let our rights die in silence.

Week 4: The Other Side of Lobbying

This week, I started working full-time at Population Connection. Tensions are high in the office – everyone is waiting for the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision to be officially released. Since the opinion was leaked on May 2, the organization has already prepared its statements and drafted its social media campaigns. When the decision finally becomes released, the organization will publish these statements and then join the protests outside of the Supreme Court. There were two Supreme Court decision days this week. Decisions begin to be released about every 10 minutes beginning at 10am; by 11am, decision day is usually over. At this point, the entire team breathes a huge sigh of relief. Now, they can focus on their other work for the day.

This week, I caught a glimpse into the lobbying side of Population Connection. When I was working on the Hill, I was able to sit in on some lobbying meetings with the staffers. For instance, I met with leaders from the American Nurses Association who lobbied for Congressman Gottheimer’s support for H.R. 3173 (Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2021) and H.R. 1195 (Workplace Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act). Now, I have the opportunity to see the other side of lobbying. Population Connection has been meeting with different Senate offices to repeal the Helms Amendment, a bill passed in response to Roe that limits the use of foreign assistance funds for abortion. This week, we met with the offices of Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). In these meetings, we emphasize the detrimental impact that Helms has had on the health of the global female population and introduce next steps that these offices can take to both repeal the global gag rule and mitigate its harm. While I have only participated in these meetings so far, later in the summer, I will have the opportunity to lead these lobbying meetings on behalf of Population Connection.

Weeks 2-3: Exploring the Hill & Introduction to Population Connection

Hi all,

During the past two weeks, I’ve both continued my work as a Hilltern (Hill-intern!) and started working part-time at Population Connection. 

On the Hill, I had the opportunity to attend some fascinating hearings. Most notable was the House Committee on the Judiciary Hearing for the markup of H.R. 7910, the “Protecting Our Kids Act.” This bill sought to expand firearm regulation by raising the minimum age to purchase certain semiautomatic firearms and expand the types of weapons that are subject to regulation. It was also a direct response to a recent wave of tragic school shootings, including the Uvalde shooting in Texas that killed 19 students and two teachers on May 24, 2022. The hearing itself exemplified the political polarization that plagues our country – representatives blatantly turned away when members from across the aisle spoke, and some even resorted to name-calling and eye-rolling. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) gave a moving speech about the importance of gun regulation to protect America’s children, citing her own son’s death due to gun violence as evidence of this prevailing problem. In response, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) argued that Congress must repeal the 1990 Gun-Free School Zones Act, paradoxically asserting that allowing guns in schools would decrease mass shootings. Later, Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) used his time to display multiple of his personal handguns with the Committee via Zoom and describe how this bill would restrict his collection. The Republican arguments were grounded in protecting individual rights, whereas the Democratic arguments portrayed mass shootings as one of America’s most pressing domestic threats. However, neither side could even agree upon the same issue, causing a stalemate. This hearing thus demonstrated how politics can obstruct democratic change – reform can only occur when representatives from across the aisle suspend their personal agendas to serve the needs of the greater American public.

At Population Connection, I primarily spent my time learning about the current state of reproductive health rights in the U.S. and how population control can address climate change by more sustainably conserving Earth’s limited resources. I also created resources to make knowledge about the reproductive health landscape more accessible; for instance, I wrote a one-pager on the Women’s Health Protection Act. 

This was my last week on the Hill, which is a bit melancholy for me –– while I’m excited to work full-time at Population Connection, I’ll also miss the access of the Hill, learning from the Congressional staffers and co-interns, and the &Pizza located in the Rayburn office building that I frequented.

Week 1: Introduction to the Hill

Hi all,

Welcome to my blog! My name is Amiya Mehrotra, and I am a rising junior at Duke majoring in Public Policy and minoring in History and Economics. My policy interests largely center around education policy, however, I hope to use this summer to broaden the scope of my policy knowledge. 

Thus, over the next three months, I’ll be working in the House of Representatives as a Congressional Intern for a few weeks, and I’ll also be working as the Government Relations Fellow at Population Connection, a reproductive health rights lobbying firm that works educate and advocate to “stabilize the world population at a level that can be sustained by Earth’s resources.” In this way, I’ll have the opportunity to learn about two prominent sides of policy work: representative government and lobbying. By learning about the dynamics of actually working in policy outside of the classroom, I hope to use this summer to inform how I can best impact public policy upon my graduation in 2024.

This week, I moved into D.C. and started my Hill internship with Congressman Gottheimer’s office (D-NJ). The learning curve was steep during the first few days – we learned to navigate the tunnels connecting the three Congressional office buildings, operate new technology such as Indigov (helps the office directly connect with constituents and log their concerns), and write memos to make recommendations on which bills the Congressman should co-sponsor. Congressional interns also have the opportunity to lead tours of the Capitol building for constituents! As a member of Duke Presidential Ambassadors as well as a tour guide at Duke, this opportunity was right up my alley; I officially became tour guide certified on Thursday. 

There were a lot of highlights throughout my first few days, and I look forward to sharing more about my internship experience with you all each week. Until then~