Olivia Rodrigo’s team tells abortion funds to stop giving out contraceptives at concerts

Earlier this week, we reported about an interesting, excellent way that Olivia Rodrigo was stepping up on behalf of her fans, allowing abortion funds to hand out contraceptives at her concerts—including and especially in states like Missouri, where local legislatures and courts are deep into massive attacks on abortion access. It’s all of a part with how the 21-year-old Rodrigo has been addressing this issue for years at this point, making pointed political statements about the need for abortion access in America, announcing that parts of ticket sales for her current GUTS Tour will go to her Fund 4 Good (which includes preserving reproductive rights among its goals), and that the National Network of Abortion Funds would have a dedicated table at all of the stops on her North American tour.

It turns out, though, that actually handing out contraceptives—both emergency contraceptives like the Plan B-esque Julie, and more traditional condoms—may have been a bridge too far for at least portions of Rodrigo’s team. Variety and Jezebel both report this week that abortion fund organizers are saying they’ve been asked to stop distributing contraceptives at the artist’s show because “children are present at the concerts.” (Which both we, and the organizers themselves, would argue, is kind of the point—sexually active teenagers aren’t going to stop being sexually active because they don’t have access to a $45 morning-after pill—but they will still get pregnant.)

Variety reports that the message was handed down from Rodrigo’s team through a Slack channel with the National Network Of Abortion Funds, and came about after the distribution of contraceptives and lubricants caught national attention; the reported phrasing is that Rodrigo’s team would “prefer” if distribution of the materials stopped. In the Variety report—which notes that Rodrigo’s team hasn’t yet responded to requests for comment—several abortion fund organizers expressed their frustration with the decision, while also voicing their gratitude to Rodrigo for her general support of the cause.

“Nothing I am saying about this particular decision takes away from our intense gratitude that Olivia has given us this platform and this visibility,” said Stephanie Kraft Sheley, whose group Right By You distributed contraceptives at the Missouri stop of Rodrigo’s Guts Tour, pictures of which brought wider attention to the program. “I think it is remarkable and needed, and I hope others will follow suit.” But:

Our position is that it does not hurt a young person to see us out in the community doing that work. None of that pearl clutching happened before our eyes at this event, and it nevers does. 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.