‘Where Young Women are Gathering is Where the Fight is Being Taken’: How Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour is Championing Reproductive Rights
By Caroline Hamar
Olivia Rodrigo has shown that, when it comes to reproductive rights, concerts might be America’s last hope as she hands out the morning-after pill on her Guts World Tour.
‘Abortion funding? It’s a good idea, right?’ This is the tagline printed on stickers with a QR code to abortion resources, handed out at the Enterprise Centre on 12th March 2024 at Rodrigo’s tour stop in St Louis, Missouri – along with condoms, lube, stickers and the morning-after pill.
The 21-year-old pop star has partnered with the National Network of Abortion Funds for the North American leg of her Guts World Tour, to host booths at her concert venues to, as Rodrigo explained on her TikTok, ‘help those impacted by healthcare barriers get the reproductive care they deserve.’
Last week, at a table outside the women’s bathroom, the Missouri Abortion Fund and Right By You, a reproductive rights text hotline, distributed free boxes of the one-step pill under the brand name ‘Julie’, a progestin‑only emergency contraceptive, which helps prevent pregnancy when taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex.
A fan account on X, formerly known as Twitter, tweeted ‘Free Plan B is being given out at @OliviaRodrigo's GUTS WORLD TOUR in St. Louis tonight by @MOAbortionFund’, to which Missouri Abortion Fund commented: ‘It’s brutal out here in Missouri, but we are here for abortion access and hand out Plan B with @TextRightByYou.’
This initiative went viral, with one fan post receiving over 12 million views. But, as the Guts World Tour kicked off on February 23rd, why is this abortion fund initiative causing a commotion now?
It’s because what happened in Missouri was more than just the giving out of advice and information: it was actively providing women with healthcare. Concerts have always been promoted as ‘safe spaces’ however, they are becoming social and political conventions for resources, education and now vital health products and services.
It’s also because, in Missouri, abortion is completely banned. It’s 1 of 18 states that have issued total bans on abortion or severely restricted access to abortion after the overturning of Roe Vs Wade in June 2022.
During Glastonbury 2022, Olivia voiced her opinion on the ruling: ‘I’m devastated and terrified and so many women and girls are going to die because of this and I wanted to dedicate this next song to the five members of the Supreme Court who have shown us that at the end of the day, they truly don’t give a shit about freedom,’ she said. ‘The song is for the justices: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh. We hate you! We hate you.’
She then brought out Lily Allen to sing her song ‘Fuck You’.
Olivia has also founded a new charity, alongside her Guts World Tour called ‘Fund 4 You’, which supports non-profits and programs that protect the reproductive freedoms of women and girls. ‘A portion of all of the proceeds from the Guts World Tour will go to the Fund 4 Good,’ Rodrigo confirmed on TikTok.
Of course, the events in St Louis, Missouri, caused a lot of controversy. This meant that a few days later, on the 14th of March, local Abortion Funds received a request from the tour organisers for products such as the morning-after pill to not be handed out at the concerts.
Jade Hurley, DC Abortion Fund communications manager, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter: ‘The #GUTSWorldTour is asking abortion funds not to bring emergency contraception (EC), condoms, or lube to tour stops.’ Hurley said the reason given was that ‘children are present at the concerts’.
However, Right by You founder Stephanie Kraft Sheley explained, ‘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. We’re not having children walk up and grab things off the table that aren’t for children.’
This shows that when it comes to women’s bodies the focus is always on the ‘sex’ aspect and not the ‘healthcare’ aspect. While products such as the morning-after pill and condoms can indicate casual or non-comital sex, young people should be educated on women’s safety as this is actually what these products represent.
Destini Spaeth, chair of the Prairie Abortion Fund, who also hosted a booth at Rodrigo’s stop in St Paul, Minnesota agreed that ‘sex and sexual health tools — whether that be abortion, Plan B, condoms — are villainised because you’re [seen as being] promiscuous.’ Unfortunately, women are held captive by the idea of ‘morality’ rather than the biology of being human.
Musicians have realised that their fanbases are filled with young, passionate people who can keep political momentum going, especially with issues such as the abortion ban. Olivia has taken that one step further by using concerts to provide targeted services. And these services, such as the Abortion Funds, have picked up on the opportunity. DC Abortion Fund, the largest in the US, tweeted: ‘Little do these decision-makers know, we have no issue handing out Plan B, free of charge, on the public sidewalk outside the venue.’
This is where young women are gathering so, this is where the fight is being taken.
However, some might question how public these initiatives should be. Although they are defiant acts of protest, some girls might be disallowed to attend these concerts due to their political nature and these are the girls who need to be reached the most. There are two directions this new concert initiate can take. One is making noise and commotion over handing out healthcare, to demonstrate how many women are against the ruling and the other is a much quieter revolution of handing out information and healthcare to girls in secret, to make sure the most vulnerable definitely have it.
Either way, it’s the Guts World Tour and what Olivia is starting takes guts.