Olivia Rodrigo will no longer give free Plan Bs and condoms to concertgoers on her ‘Guts’ world tour.
The popstar recently made headlines for handing out contraceptive kits with condoms, Plan Bs, and information for abortion access at her show in Missouri. The state notably banned almost all abortions after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. The kits were part of a reproductive rights initiative held on her tour, in which the National Network of Abortion Funds would have a booth at every show on her North American leg.
However, the move angered several Republican figures, including a “horrified” Missouri State Senator Bill Eigel: “Olivia Rodrigo is actively harming women in Missouri by championing abortion. She should be ashamed.”
Now, local abortion organisers have said they are no longer allowed to hand out contraceptive kits at Rodrigo’s concerts. Speaking to Variety, one organiser claimed that Rodrigo’s team said they didn’t want the kits to be handed out as “children are present at the concerts.”
In a comment to Rolling Stone, the Missouri Abortion Fund said that “It was our decision to pass out EC [emergency contraceptives].”
Olivia Rodrigo performs onstage for the kick off of GUTS World Tour at Acrisure Arena on February 23, 2024 in Palm Springs, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)
“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,” Robin Frisella, Missouri Abortion Fund’s Community Engagement Director said to Rolling Stone.
“We can’t speak to why this decision was made, but we hope this conversation highlights the work being done by abortion funds every day in states across the country. We stand by our decision to hand out EC and will be increasing our efforts to provide this to our community.”
Rodrigo’s team did not respond to requests from Rolling Stone or Variety for comment.
The singer announced in February that she was launching a reproductive rights initiative on tours. This included donating a portion of her ticket sales to ‘Fund 4 Good’, which will “directly support community based non-profits that champion things like girls’ education, support reproductive rights, and prevent gender-based violence.”
In addition, a National Network of Abortion Funds booth would be present at every show on her North American leg. You can find out remaining dates on her tour and ticket information here.
In other news, Rodrigo performed ‘If It Makes You Happy’ with Sheryl Crow at her show in Nashville.
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