October 9, 2025
In honor of National Recovery Month, the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law is pleased to announce a new collaboration with Ms. Magazine that explores how the right to recovery is essential to a free and fair democracy.
Through a podcast mini-series and a companion essay collection, the project examines the intersections of addiction, recovery, and gender justice, while highlighting public health and policy solutions that prioritize dignity, equity, access to care, and civic engagement. “The Long Way Home” podcast is hosted by Professor Michele Bratcher Goodwin, Linda D. & Timothy J. O’Neill Professor of Constitutional Law and Global Health Policy and faculty director of the O’Neill Institute. She is joined by leading experts, including Professor Regina LaBelle, director of the Center on Addiction and Public Policy; Cody Thompson, program coordinator at the Center on Addiction and Public Policy and the Center for Community Health Innovation; Dr. Patricia Jones Blessman, a retired licensed clinical psychologist with 40 years of experience; and Karen Thompson, legal director of Pregnancy Justice.
“The right to recovery is a complex, life-long process that is deeply intertwined with dignity, justice, and equality,” said Professor Michele Bratcher Goodwin. “This partnership between the O’Neill Institute and Ms. Magazine reflects our shared commitment to centering the voices of women, people in recovery, and communities left behind. Together, we’re uplifting these stories and affirming that the right to recovery is fundamental to a resilient democracy for all.”
The companion essay collection spotlights an array of voices with lived experiences who bring awareness to critical issues, such as LGBTQ+ perspectives and maternal health and pregnancy justice. Cody Thompson also contributed an essay on “Recovery Saved My Life. It Can Also Save U.S. Democracy.”
“Recovery is not just a personal journey. It is a political one,” said Cody Thompson. “It provides a roadmap for how we might mend and heal our seemingly broken democracy: people of different faiths, political parties, and diverse identities sitting beside one another, offering a hand to someone in need, and saying, ‘You got this, you are not alone.’”