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Females of every species exercise reproductive choice, says evolutionary biologist

Female bottlenose dolphins can choose which of their mates' sperm fertilizes their eggs. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Female bottlenose dolphins can choose which of their mates' sperm fertilizes their eggs. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)

As Americans wonder what’s next for reproductive rights after the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, an evolutionary biologist writes: “There is one thing I am certain of from my studies of the animal world as an evolutionary biologist. Women won’t stop fighting for control over their bodies and will continue making reproductive choices no matter the obstacle.”

What makes her so sure? She says that’s what female mammals have always done — what they evolved to do. Deena Emera is a senior scientist at the Center for Reproductive Longevity at the Buck Institute of Aging. She wrote an op-ed in the Boston Globe titled “Reproductive choice is at the core of being a female mammal.” She joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to talk about how females of many species have evolved to maximize their own and their offspring’s health.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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