KQED's Forum

Veterinarians are nearly three times more likely than the general public to die by suicide, and one in six has contemplated taking their life, according to recent studies. The industry has never been under more stress: During the pandemic, pet ownership in the United States rose by 70% and the demand for veterinary assistance has risen exponentially. But many veterinarians are leaving the profession because of intense workloads, crushing student debt, hostile pet owners, and the trauma of euthanizing animals they’ve cared for from cradle to grave. We’ll talk about the mental health challenges veterinarians and vet techs are facing, and what can be done.

This segment originally aired on March 8, 2022.

Guests:

Dr. Susan Cohen, social worker, Dr. Cohen runs support groups for veterinarians and animal welfare workers; former director of counseling, the Animal Medical Center in New York City

Dr. Melanie Goble, founding board member, Not One More Vet -- a nonprofit organization devoted to helping the veterinarian medical community with mental health issue; practicing veterinarian

Jennifer Scarlett, president, San Francisco SPCA; veterinarian

Dr. Cherese Sullivan, president, Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association; practices general veterinary medicine

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Though it was expected, the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has sent shock waves throughout the country. Legislatures in more than two dozen states have already or are preparing to severely restrict or eliminate abortion access. Some providers immediately halted services as soon as the Court’s decision came out while other providers are now scrambling to care for an influx of people seeking care. And patients, some as young as ten years old, are crossing state lines for emergency abortions. We examine the landscape of reproductive rights post-Roe and answer your questions about the impact of the Supreme Court's ruling.

Guests:

Margot Sanger-Katz, health care correspondent, The New York Times

Elizabeth Nash, principal policy associate, State Issues, Guttmacher Institute, research and policy organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) worldwide

Mike DeBonis, congressional reporter, Washington Post

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From celebrities like Harry Styles and the members of boy band BTS to social media beauty influencers like Patrick Starrr and Kenneth Senegal, more and more men and nonbinary folk are publicly embracing makeup in their daily lives. And as author and journalist David Yi argues in their new book, the male beauty influencers of today have ancient cultural precedents. “Pretty Boys” traces male beauty figures throughout history, from Ramses the Great to ‘80s glam rockers to drag culture newly entering the mainstream. We’ll hear about how beauty influencers, both past and present, have explored gender through makeup.

This segment originally aired June 11, 2021

Guests:

Kenneth Senegal, Beauty Entertainment influencer

David Yi, founder and editor, Very Good Light -- a men's beauty publication; author, "Pretty Boys: Legendary Icons Who Redefined Beauty and How to Glow Up, Too"

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Judging from the recent Supreme Court decisions allowing prayer during high school sports, the use of public funds for religious schools and the overturning of the federal right to an abortion, one might conclude that practicing religion is on the rise in the U.S. But, nearly 30% of Americans are not affiliated with a religious institution, a rapid decline in recent decades. People are now questioning how the erosion of the separation of church and state might affect religious beliefs and personal relationships with religious institutions. Are you religious? How are you affected by the recent court decisions on the religious cases? We’ll dive into how religion influences politics and policy and how religion plays a role in your life.

Guests:

Carolyn Chen, associate professor of Ethnic Studies, UC Berkeley; co-director, Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion; author, "Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley"

Barbara Perry, presidential studies director, University of Virginia's Miller Center

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Pain is a "hallmark of consciousness among all beings," writes physician Haider Warraich in his new book "The Song of Our Scars." Pain, he explains, is also gendered, racial and above all so personal that it's the one thing truly our own. Like an estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide, Warraich himself lives with chronic pain, brought on by a devastating back injury. We'll talk to Warraich about the biology of pain and how we experience what he calls our most complicated sensation.

Guests:

Haider Warraich, author, "The Song of Our Scars: The Untold Story of Pain." He's also a physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the VA Boston Healthcare System and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

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Chores are well… a chore. And for many households, the lockdown only intensified domestic tension over tasks like cooking, cleaning, and grocery shopping. We’ll talk to experts about how to make chores more manageable and equitable, how to share the load with children, roommates and spouses, and how to make the drudgery of keeping everything in order feel more like a delight.

Guests:

Eve Rodsky, author, "Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live)," which has been adapted into a documentary to be released in select theaters and on demand on Friday, July 8.

Allie Volpe, senior reporter, Vox

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“There’s nothing wrong with me because of the color of my skin.” Award-winning scholar and author Ibram X. Kendi wants us to imagine a world where all kids of color could be taught to internalize that antiracist idea and develop their sense of self through it. We'll talk to Kendi about how we as caregivers can help them do that and why we need to work to build an antiracist society that can protect all children. Kendi’s new book is “How to Raise an Antiracist.”

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Fireworks may be in your future this holiday, but there are other reasons to gaze skyward in July. We’ll talk about meteor showers and other celestial events you can catch, hear about the Mars Perseverance rover’s latest adventures and get updates on the James Hubble telescope, expected to release its first images this month.

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America's national anthem “The Star Spangled Banner” was written by a white lawyer who owned slaves but fought for Black freedom in court. That contradiction captures the controversy embedded in the song. It is a song that can inspire patriotic fervor and ignite passionate protest. It is also notoriously hard to sing. We talk to Mark Clague about the anthem and his new book about it, "O Say Can You Hear." As we go into this Fourth of July weekend, during a time when the nation is roiled by the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the congressional hearings on the insurrection at the Capitol, we hear from you about what patriotism means to you now. And what song speaks to your vision for America?

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This year’s ground shifting Supreme Court term comes to a close on Thursday. This term, the Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, expanded religious rights and struck down gun regulation. In the process, it has positioned its jurisprudence to rely heavily on historical precedents from colonial times to guide its decisions. With confidence in the Supreme Court at an all-time low, many Americans believe that the justices are out of step with the majority of the country. What will that mean for the Court’s future? We’ll talk to a panel of experts about the term’s most significant rulings and look at what might be on the docket for next year’s term when Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson joins the Court.

Guests:

Rory Little, professor; UC-Hastings College of the Law; former attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice

Margaret Russell, professor of Constitutional Law; Santa Clara University School of Law

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