Maggie Jo Buchanan

Senior Director and Senior Legal Fellow, Women’s Initiative

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Maggie Jo Buchanan is the senior director and senior legal fellow for the Women’s Initiative at American Progress, where she leads interdisciplinary work on women’s economic security, health, and leadership.

Before her current role, Buchanan was the director of Courts and Legal Policy at American Progress, publishing widely cited reports on topics such as professional diversity on the federal bench and U.S. Supreme Court term limits. In addition, she previously served as an associate director for the Women’s Initiative, focused on women’s health and reproductive rights.

In addition to her work at American Progress, Buchanan has led policy initiatives at organizations such as Young Invincibles and NARAL Pro-Choice America. She also served as a senior legislative assistant to Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX). In that role, she managed significant portions of the congressman’s Ways and Means portfolio, including his work on health care, worker and family supports, and Social Security matters. Buchanan also has significant experience in the states, working in Texas on issues that include maternal health, reproductive rights, and the unique challenges facing student-parents.

Buchanan’s work has received extensive news coverage in NPR, PBS NewsHour, Bloomberg, The Guardian, the Houston ChronicleThe Texas TribuneThe Washington PostPolitico, and more. She earned her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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A Collaborative Agenda for the Disability and Reproductive Justice Communities in 2023

The Center for American Progress recently hosted a roundtable of more than 20 advocates from the reproductive and disability rights and justice communities—and has compiled the top five policy priorities important to focus on this year.

Hyde’s Restrictions on Abortion Are Unacceptable Article
Abortion rights activists march past the Washington Monument.

Hyde’s Restrictions on Abortion Are Unacceptable

While it is critical that Congress works to codify the promise of Roe v. Wade and ensure equitable access to abortion care, the federal government must take what steps it can now under the scope of the Hyde Amendment to increase access to care and protect patients.

A Strong Start in Life: How Public Health Policies Affect the Well-Being of Pregnancies and Families Report
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A Strong Start in Life: How Public Health Policies Affect the Well-Being of Pregnancies and Families

Understanding how the key social determinants of health—including housing, employment, and education—affect perinatal health is critical to ensuring that federal policies support healthy babies and families.

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