S4: E1. A Sacred Calling

For nearly half a century, Curtis Boyd and Glenna Halvorson Boyd have devoted their lives to providing safe and affirming abortion care. Curtis, a former Baptist minister, began providing abortions in Texas before the procedure was legal in the state. After Roe, with the help of an interfaith network of clergy, Curtis opened up a clinic in Dallas. In the 1970s, Glenna came to work there as well, and the two eventually fell in love. Their partnership and shared commitment to abortion care has enabled them to withstand the increasing violence of the anti-abortion movement and to continue providing abortions to this day.

Hosts and Creators: Gillian Frank and Lauren Gutterman

Senior Producer: Saniya Lee Ghanoui

Producer and Story Editor: Rebecca Davis

Assistant Producers: Mallory Szymanski

Episode Music:

“It is Something (To Have Wept),” Singing the Living Tradition Hymnal. Performed by: El Perro Del Mar, 2009.

Cold Case, “Darkened Treeline,” Blue Dot Sessions.

Wandering Valley Boys, “T For Texas,”  31st Annual Old Fiddlers Convention, 1967.

“Hymn #127: Can I See Another's  Woe?” Singing the Living Tradition Hymnal. Performed by: Jess Huetteman.

The Freedom Singers, “Woke Up This Morning,” The Evening Concerts At Newport, Vol. 1. 1964.

Jimmy Lewis, “The Girls From Texas,” 1968.

“Hymn #184: Be Ye Lamps Unto Yourselves,” Singing the Living Tradition Hymnal. Performed by: Starr King Unitarian Universalist Church.

“There's a Wideness in God’s Mercy (Wellesley),” The Presbyterian Hymnbook (1955). Performed by: Andrew Remillard.

Don Varner, “Down in Texas,” South Camp, 1967.

The Association, “Along Comes Mary,” 1966

The New Haven Women’s Liberation Rock Band, “Abortion Song,” Mountain Moving Day, 1972.

Leslie Gore, “You Don’t Own Me,” 1968.

Richard B. Ferrier, “The Ballad of Henry Wade,”  1972.

“Hymn #166: Years Are Coming,” Singing the Living Tradition Hymnal. Performed by: First Unitarian Church of Baltimore.

The New Haven Women's Liberation Rock Band, “Sister Witch,” Mountain Moving Day, 1972.

“Hymn #131: Love Will Guide Us,” Singing the Living Tradition Hymnal. Performed by: First Unitarian Universalist Church of Springfield.

Glass Obelisk, “Low Call,” Blue Dot Sessions.

Glass Obelisk, “Apollo Diedre,” Blue Dot Sessions.

Trailhead, “Access Road 214,” Blue Dot Sessions.

“Hymn #95: There is More Love Somewhere,” Singing the Living Tradition Hymnal. Performed by: Jess Huetteman.

“Hymn #188: Come, Come Whoever You Are,” Singing the Living Tradition Hymnal. Performed by: Jess Huetteman.

“Hymn #298: Wake Now My Senses,” Singing the Living Tradition Hymnal. Performed by: Starr King Unitarian Universalist Church.

Texana, “Onside,” Blue Dot Sessions.

“Hymn #1: May Nothing Evil Cross This Door,” Singing the Living Tradition Hymnal. Performed by: Karen Mooney.

“Hymn #1020: Woyaya,” Singing the Living Tradition Hymnal. Performed by: Silver Springs Unitarian Universalist Church.

Archival Audio:

Reverend J. Claude Evans, “Interview,” WFAA-TV, May 17, 1970. Southern Methodist University Special Collections.

“CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite,” CBS, January 22, 1973.

“Protesters and counter protesters at the Fairmount center in Dallas,” WFAA-TV, Circa 1975. Southern Methodist University Special Collections.

“Operation Rescue,” KXAS-TV (Fort Worth, Tex.). October 29, 1988, 6:00 p.m.  University of North Texas Libraries Special Collections, The Portal to Texas History.  https://texashistory.unt.edu.

“Mesquite clinic,” KXAS-TV (Fort Worth, Tex.).February 23, 1985, 10:00 p.m. University of North Texas Libraries Special Collections, The Portal to Texas History.  https://texashistory.unt.edu .

“Abortion Protest,” KXAS-TV (Fort Worth, Tex.).  February 27, 1993. University of North Texas Libraries Special Collections, The Portal to Texas History.  https://texashistory.unt.edu .

“Abortion Arson,” KXAS-TV (Fort Worth, Tex.).  December 25, 1988, 10:00 p.m.. University of North Texas Libraries Special Collections, The Portal to Texas History.  https://texashistory.unt.edu .

“Pensacola Abortion Murder,” WPLG-TV, March 10, 1993. Miami Dade College Special Collections. https://www.mdc.edu/archives/

“20 Years Since the Murder of Dr. Barnett Slepian,” WGRZ-TV, October 23, 2018.

“Abortion Doctor Killed at Church,” ABC News, June 2, 2009.

“Texas trigger law banning almost all abortions in effect now” ABC 13 Houston, August 25 2022.

Oral Histories:

Gillian Frank, Oral History of Curtis Boyd, June 23, 2016.

Gillian Frank and Lauren Gutterman, Oral History of Curtis Boyd, February 7 and 22, 2022.

Gillian Frank and Lauren Gutterman, Oral History of Glenna Halvorson Boyd, February 7 and 22, 2022.

Gillian Frank, Oral History of Curtis Boyd and Glenna Halvorson Boyd, September 1, 2022.

Alicia McCullough Jarry, Oral history of Alicia Jarry. February 28, 2021. The Briscoe Center for American History, UT Austin.

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Further Readings