Olivia Rodrigo to stop abortion funds giving away birth control on GUTS tour
15 March 2024, 18:05
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A right wing news site has labelled Olivia 'the high priestesses of child sacrifice' for partnering with the National Network of Abortion Funds on the American leg of her world tour.
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Following conservative backlash, free emergency contraception will no longer be handed out at Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS world tour.
As we reported yesterday, Olivia launched a new initiative called 'Fund 4 Good' in conjunction with her GUTS world tour.
The global initiative is "committed to building an equitable and just future for all women, girls and people seeking reproductive health freedom."
For the North American shows, Olivia partnered with local chapters of the National Network of Abortion Funds to ensure those most impacted by systemic racism, misogyny, and healthcare barriers can get the reproductive care they deserve.
A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales are also being donated to go the Fund 4 Good.
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Following her concert in St. Louis, Missouri on March 12th, one fan (@cowboylikekin) shared a photo of the free morning after pills that were being given out to those who wanted them. (Free condoms were also reportedly provided for fans who wanted them.)
Small info cards providing fans with more information about abortion care and women's reproductive rights were also handed out alongside the products, as well as a QR code should fans want to donate. (There is a near-total ban on abortion in Missouri.)
The whole thing was made possible in association with Missouri-based Right By You, who supplied the morning after pill (from a brand named Julie), and the Missouri Abortion Fund.
To be clear, no one representing Olivia or her team were handing out birth control to her audience. Speaking to The Guardian, project director of Right by You, Stephanie Kraft Sheley, said that Olivia had not specifically asked for the organisation to hand out emergency contraception either.
While Olivia received praise from fans for the initiative, it hasn’t gone down well with conservative groups and politicians.
Missouri state senator Bill Eigel tweeted that, “As the father of a daughter, I am horrified by this”.
He then said that Olivia was, “actively harming women in Missouri by championing abortion. She should be ashamed.”
Right wing news site Breitbart News went a step further, writing on Twitter: “Curious how the Disney Channel churns out so many high priestesses of child sacrifice.”
It seems that the news coverage surrounding the initiative, and concerns that children could access those items, might have caused Olivia’s team to ask the funds to stop distributing the items.
According to Jezebel, who spoke with “multiple fund workers”, Olivia’s team will no longer let local chapters of the National Network of Abortion Funds hand out supplies like condoms, lube, or emergency contraception.
Jezebel reported that following the viral tweet: “the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) told member funds slated to table at future tour stops that Rodrigo’s management now prohibited them from distributing these supplies. The reason given was that the items would be too accessible to young girls in attendance.”
While some funds have expressed disappointment at being asked to stop distributing the supplies, others are still praising Olivia for championing the cause.
Destini Spaeth, chair of Prairie Abortion Fund, which will be at the St. Paul, Minnesota show tonight (March 15), told Jezebel: “We are missing the opportunity to share our resources and this feels almost performative when we have actionable things, like EC, that we could hand out to young people who encounter so many barriers to care.”
Meanwhile, Stephanie Kraft Sheley, the project director and founder of Right by You, also told Jezebel: “We, like many abortion access organisations nationwide, routinely give out free emergency contraception at community events, and it’s unfailingly popular. We’re very grateful for this partnership with Olivia Rodrigo and the visibility she’s offering to abortion funds nationally, and we also want the public to understand that supplying the community with pregnancy prevention and safer sex supplies is a significant part of what abortion funds have to offer.”
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