Reports have emerged that Olivia Rodrigo has allegedly put a stop to the provision of free contraceptives and emergency contraception, known as Plan B, at her concerts. This action comes just a few days following praises showered on the American singer for inspiring young people to take charge of their reproductive health. Rodrigo’s team reportedly voiced concerns about the message being passed and requested that organisations cease the distribution of condoms, lubrication, and emergency contraceptive pills, justifying their appeal with the presence of underage attendees at the concerts, as Variety reports citing abortion agencies.
Although these organisations are still permitted to set up stands at Rodrigo’s ongoing Guts world tour, it must be for the sole purpose of dispensing materials like shirts, hats, stickers and badges, and also for providing information.
It’s noteworthy to mention that her performance in St Louis, Missouri, a state where abortion is prohibited, saw no legislation against the supply of emergency contraception. After the Supreme Court’s decision in June 2022 to overturn the Roe vs. Wade ruling, it has become possible for individual states in the US to ban abortion outright, resulting in 14 states making abortion illegal within a year of the ruling’s reversal.
The latest outcome has irked women’s reproductive health groups, especially in light of the recent rejection by conservatives of the distributed materials, handed out in collaboration with the Fund 4 Good programme, a project that Rodrigo, a three-time Grammy winner, says was established with the aim of creating “a fair and equitable future for all women, girls, and those seeking reproductive health freedom”.
Destini Spaeth, the Prairie Abortion Fund chair, expressed her strong opposition to Rodrigo’s decision to remove contraception access at Rodrigo’s St Paul concert in Minnesota on Friday night. She told Variety, emphasizing the importance of teenagers being well prepared to maintain their sexual health, that there’s something commendable about a teenager having a Plan B and several condoms in her possession.
Immediate replies were not forthcoming from Rodrigo’s representatives when the Guardian sought their comments.
Stephanie Kraft Sheley, project director at Right by You, spoke to The Guardian following a concert in St Louis and shared her excitement at the recent viral news standing behind singers who partner with organisations like Fund 4 Good to distribute contraceptives and Plan B during their gigs. Although criticisms have come from certain right-wing quarters such as Breitbart News, who drew a dubious comparison between Rodrigo’s former career in Disney Channel and being a puppet of the abortion industry, many praised the initiative’s intentions and held up Rodrigo as an example for other artists to follow.
Jade Hurley, communications manager for the DC Abortion Fund, spoke to Variety and expressed a similar sentiment, arguing that the backlash was based on misrepresentations and lack of understanding about the difference between emergency contraception and the abortion pill. Yet, Rodrigo’s team decided to halt the distribution of emergency contraception due to fears around ease of access for underage concert-goers, as reported by Jezebel.
Meanwhile, the Missouri Abortion Fund’s community engagement director, Robin Frisella, voiced her group’s disappointment at the stoppage of distribution, while also remaining optimistic about the general positive response to their efforts, highlighting the work being done by abortion funds nationally. She stated that although it was regrettable that other abortion funds won’t be given the same opportunity, the conversation was essential to raise awareness for the cause.