The Chris Hedges Report: Disaster patriarchy and the global war on women

The leaked majority draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health—which suggests the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, returning the question of abortion to the states—is part of a broader assault against women. The COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, has seen an estimated 30% increase in violent attacks against women, along with the curtailment of their rights. This assault, writes author and activist V, is “the most severe setback to women’s liberation in my lifetime.”

Much of this abuse, including an increase in sex and labor trafficking, is driven by the loss of work, further disempowering women. “In the US, more than 5 million women’s jobs were lost between the start of the pandemic and November 2020,” V writes in The Guardian. “Because much of women’s work requires physical contact with the public—restaurants, stores, childcare, healthcare settings—theirs were some of the first to go. Those who were able to keep their jobs were often frontline workers whose positions have put them in great danger; some 77% of hospital workers and 74% of school staff are women. Even then, the lack of childcare options left many women unable to return to their jobs.”

In this installment of The Chris Hedges Report, Chris speaks with V about how the expected overturning of Roe and the attacks on LGBTQ+ rights are part of a global, reactionary, theocratic war for patriarchal domination. V (formerly known as Eve Ensler) is a Tony-award winning playwright, author, and activist. Her new book is The Apology.

Chris Hedges interviews writers, intellectuals, and dissidents, many banished from the mainstream, in his half-hour show, The Chris Hedges Report. He gives voice to those, from Cornel West and Noam Chomsky to the leaders of groups such as Extinction Rebellion, who are on the front lines of the struggle against militarism, corporate capitalism, white supremacy, the looming ecocide, as well as the battle to wrest back our democracy from the clutches of the ruling global oligarchy.

Read the transcript here

Pre-Production: Kayla Rivara

Studio: Adam Coley, Cameron Granadino

Post-Production: Cameron Granadino

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