Though laughter is the best medicine, comedian Lizz Winstead knows there is no substitute for proper reproductive health care.

Winstead, best known for her time as head writer on “The Daily Show,” has turned her platform into a way to advocate for women’s rights and reproductive rights. She brought her brand of shameless humor to kick off UMass Dartmouth's Women's History Month series.

The youngest of five in a conservative Minnesota family, Winstead described herself as a “weird” child who often actively fought against gendered expectations forced upon her. Growing up, she fought to be an altar boy, a paper boy and actively ruined any of the female-geared toys she was given like toy stoves or brooms.

“Basically everything my mom sobbed over, I got in miniature form,” Winstead said.

She had been a comedian for several years when televised coverage of the Gulf War inspired her to put a more political edge on her brand of humor. Winstead recalled the coverage appeared glamorous and even had its own theme music.

“I remember thinking ‘Are they trying to report on a war or sell me a war?’” Winstead said.

That event marked a turning point in her stand up routines as she was driven to distrust “any information that I [got] on a box.” After receiving a call from Jon Stewart about starting a show, she and a few writers collaborated to make the “Jon Stewart Show,” which she produced. They developed the newsroom format to satirize the failure of the media to report in an unbiased manner.

Though the show was ultimately cancelled, she and Stewart eventually created “The Daily Show,” which she stayed on as head writer.

Winstead never let her love of comedy and stand-up fall to the wayside and she eventually turned to advocacy to use her platform to promote the reproductive rights of women. Winstead and fellow comedians Arun Chaudhary and Scott Goodstein founded Lady Parts justice, a nonprofit made up of comedians and entertainers dedicated to raising awareness of legislative attempts to block women's reproductive freedoms. The name of the organization is an homage to former Michigan state representative Lisa Brown who was banned from the statehouse floor for using the word “vagina” while arguing against a transvaginal ultrasound bill. When Brown asked what she should say, they suggested “lady parts.”

The organization holds “V to Shining V” events that mobilize people to take action against birth control and abortion restriction.

Lady Parts Justice is also dedicated to creating communities around clinics so that they always have local advocates to support the health care providers.

Though Winstead had the audience cackling, it wasn’t all fun and Donald Trump jokes. Winstead gave attendees a reminder that Wednesday, March 2 marks the Supreme Court hearing for Whole Woman’s Health vs. Hellerstedt, a case challenging Texas’ Targeted Regulation of Abortion laws. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, “laws single out the medical practices of doctors who provide abortions and impose on them requirements that are different and more burdensome than those imposed on other medical practices.” If the Texas laws are permitted to stand, it will cause the closure of 34 of the 40 abortion clinics in the state.