Olivia Rodrigo faces backlash after contraceptives were handed out during her GUTS World Tour

In Missouri, abortion is illegal. It has been since 24th June 2022, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a pivotal 1973 ruling protecting women’s abortion rights. At Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS World Tour stop in St. Louis, Missouri, on 12th March 2024, emergency contraceptives and condoms were available to attendees courtesy of the Missouri Abortion Fund and Right By You, sparking significant controversy. 

At the tour’s kick-off in Palm Springs, California, on 23rd February 2024, Rodrigo took to Instagram to introduce her ‘Fund 4 Good’ initiative, pledging a portion of the proceeds from all ticket sales to support state-relevant abortion funds. According to Variety, abortion and sexual health organisations have been stationed at concert venues since at least Rodrigo’s 8th March show in Charlotte, North Carolina. However, the scheme gained widespread attention after a photo of free emergency contraception received by a fan at the St. Louis concert went viral on X. 

Fans commended Rodrigo for providing access to sexual health education and contraception

Following the concert, Rodrigo faced substantial criticism, with some accusing her of promoting sex to her predominantly young fanbase. Right-wing news outlet Breitbart News tweeted a disparaging remark linking Rodrigo’s early career on the Disney Channel to allegations of promoting “child sacrifice.” Republican Missouri state senator Bill Eigel said he was “horrified” at the distribution of what he termed “abortifacients” at the concert. Respectable outlets like Rolling Stone furthered the critiques hurled at Rodrigo with their misleading headline stating her concert “Hands Out Morning After Pills Despite State Ban on Abortion.” 

“They don’t know the difference between emergency contraception and the abortion pill,” Jade Hurley, communications manager for the DC Abortion Fund, tells Variety. The abortion pill terminates a pregnancy, while emergency contraceptive pills like Plan B and Julie (the brand distributed during Rodrigo’s tour) prevent pregnancy by delaying ovulation. Labelling morning-after pills as “abortifacients” fuelled the widespread panic amongst Republicans online. 

The Missouri Abortion Fund, which provides financial aid to those unable to afford abortion care, and Right by You, a text line assisting teen Missourians in accessing abortion, have stressed that the choice to distribute contraception was theirs, not Rodrigo’s. Robin Frisella, community engagement director for the Missouri Abortion Fund, clarified to Variety that “Missouri Abortion Fund and Right by You were invited to table at Olivia Rodrigo’s event in St. Louis, but it was our decision to pass out EC.” However, due to the association with Rodrigo’s tour, the criticism primarily targeted her. 

In response, fans commended Rodrigo for providing access to sexual health education and contraception, highlighting that minors too need these resources. One fan tweeted that “no one, ESPECIALLY minors deserve[s] to be stuck bringing… a HUMAN into the world solely because they didn’t have access to preventative measures.” Stephanie Kraft, founder of Right by You, described the organisation’s work at the concert to Variety: “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.” 

Rodrigo’s use of her platform to actively aid those in need shows she genuinely cares about abortion rights

Despite the praise, criticism led Rodrigo’s team to prohibit other abortion funds from distributing contraception at future GUTS World Tour dates, citing the presence of children at her concerts. The decision disappointed many. Destini Spaeth, chair of the Prairie Abortion Fund, who had at booth at the 15th March concert in St. Paul, Minnesota, thanked Rodrigo for her vocal support for abortion rights, but expressed the need for their allies to be “all in.” “The reality is that youth have sex, and youth need access to birth control and emergency contraception,” Hurley told Variety.  

After the decision, The DC Abortion Fund 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.” The GUTS World Tour is scheduled to visit Washington D.C. on 20th July. Organisations are still permitted to booth inside the concert venues to distribute informational materials, badges, and stickers.  

This is not the first instance of Rodrigo expressing her stance on abortion rights. During her Glastonbury debut on 25th June 2022, the day after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Rodrigo brought out Lily Allen to perform Allen’s hit ‘Fuck You’, calling out by name the Supreme Court justices who voted to overrule the bill before their performance. 

Rodrigo’s use of her platform to actively aid those in need shows she genuinely cares about abortion rights; this is not simply a performative repost. For a young woman at the beginning of her career to be outright and unambiguous in her support for such a contentious political issue is highly commendable and epitomises feminism.