Abortion funds have been asked to not pass out emergency contraceptives to fans at Olivia Rodrigo‘s concerts, according to organizers.
Following headlines that Julie morning-after pills, condoms and lubricants were available to concertgoers for free at stops on the 21-year-old pop star’s Guts World Tour, representatives from local funds told Variety that they received the request Thursday (March 14) to stop handing out those items at Rodrigo’s concerts. The message was reportedly shared by the National Network of Abortion Funds; three separate sources at local abortion funds told the publication that the ask came from Rodrigo’s team.
“The #GUTSWorldTour is asking abortion funds not to bring emergency contraception (EC), condoms, or lube to tour stops,” Jade Hurley, DC Abortion Fund communications manager, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “We hope to see this change before DC’s date on July 20th.”
Hurley also told Variety that according to the NNAF, the pop star’s team indicated that they would like the distribution of morning-after pills, condoms and lubricant at her shows to stop because “children are present at the concerts.”
The “Vampire” singer has been using her tour as a vehicle for reproductive rights advocacy since it kicked off in February, inviting local abortion funds to set up booths with information and resources at each of her shows. Through the musician’s own Fund 4 Good, she’s been funneling a portion of her proceeds from ticket sales to abortion access and women’s health initiatives.
“I love that Olivia has taken this public stance,” Destini Spaeth, chair of the Prairie Abortion Fund, told Variety. “We just need our allies to be all in. We need them to be all in for us so that we can actually do our work. We can’t be given these parameters. We’re the experts at this.”
However, Missouri Abortion Fund community engagement director Robin Frisella told Variety that the idea to pass out contraceptives at concerts didn’t come from Rodrigo in the first place. “It was our decision to pass out EC,” she said of her organization’s presence at the musician’s March 12 performance in St. Louis. “While we are disappointed to learn that other abortion funds will not get the same opportunity to do the same, we are encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive response.”
“It was very normal to see a younger child walk up with curiosity with their parent and have the parent explain to them what’s on the table and why we’re here,” Right by You founder Stephanie Kraft Sheley also told Variety of having contraceptives available at Rodrigo’s Missouri concert. “We’re not having children walk up and grab things off the table that aren’t for children.”
The “Drivers License” singer will be on the road for the next five months, making stops across North America and Europe before closing out her first-ever arena trek with four shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Her sophomore album, Guts, arrived in September, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
And while contraceptives will no longer be offered within the bounds of her shows, the DC Abortion Fund still has plans to make sure fans have access to them. “Little do these decision-makers know,” the organization tweeted, “We have no issue handing out Plan B, free of charge, on the public sidewalk outside the venue.”
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