Folk singer and political activist Ani DiFranco demonstrated her support for women’s reproductive rights in her newest video where she sings her track “Play God” live. The song comes off the artist’s nineteenth album Binary which was released back in 2017. The video shows her September 2018 performance at Babefest in Brooklyn with her daughter Petah joining her with backup vocals.

DiFranco’s video was released in light of recent anti-abortion legislation introduced and passed in Alabama and Ohio. Alabama’s most recent abortion law essentially outlaws abortion in the entire state unless the mother’s life is at risk due to their pregnancy, giving doctors who perform abortions up to 99 years in prison. Ohio just recently passed their “Heartbeat Bill” which outlaws abortions around six weeks after conception.

The “Play God” video directly clashes with these pieces of legislation as DiFranco adamantly disagrees with the actions taken by Alabama and Ohio. Her video goes right into her guitar playing and begins with words placed over the video which read, “Reproductive freedom is a civil rights issue.” DiFranco’s daughter stands to her right as she begins the punchy and hard hitting song. Her lyrics delves into topics like the pro-choice fundamental belief that women should have the right to choose, the patriarchy, capitalism, and ties them all together by revealing their intersections. Audience members are seen singing along and cheering at particularly empowering lines such as “You get much more / Much more than your say / Government, religion /It’s all just patriarchy / I must insist you leave this one thing to me.” The video ends with a list of places that support women in their right to choose. Watch the live performance here:

Throughout DiFranco’s career her songs have dealt with many political issues including racism, the patriarchy, and lgbtq+ rights. Her official music video for “Play God” was released back in 2017. Most recently, DiFranco announced her summer 2019 tour for her mixtape No Walls and the Recurring Dream.

Photo Credits: Alexander Cabrera