S2 E9: The Handmaids Tale and Alabama's Human Life Protection Act

Loud Murmurs 小声喧哗

In anticipation of the third season of The Handmaid's Tale premiering June 5 on Hulu, this episode dives into the dystopian and misogynistic regime — as well as how recent news from Alabama remind us of how we’re not that far from these horrors.

On May 15, the Human Life Protection Act, also known as House Bill 314 and the Alabama abortion ban was enacted, which imposes a near-total ban on abortion in the state starting in November 2019.

The first two seasons of the show gathered a global following and is especially popular in China for its realistic portrayal of the national policing of women’s bodies. As the news from Alabama started trending on Weibo (Chinese Twitter), people became enraged — netizens were angry, because they didn’t understand how and why the allegedly “beacon nation” that usually puts humanism and individual freedom first has made this regression against abortion rights.

We invited our dear friend (and a regular guest on the show) Santu (Yale JD candidate) and Feminist/Activist Lv Pin to join us in a discussion on the abortion ban through the lens of pop culture. We discuss both fictional and realistic dystopianism on both sides of the Pacific ocean. Please enjoy and find us in the iTunes podcast store, Google Play, Spotify, 喜马拉雅 for our fans in China, and wherever you listen to podcasts (e.g. Pocket Casts, Overcast)! Please subscribe, enjoy, and feel free to drop us a note and leave us a review.

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