Olivia Rodrigo Speaks About Abortion Rights Onstage In DC
Earlier this week, the world learned the news, from a leaked majority-opinion draft, that the Supreme Court plans to overturn Roe Vs. Wade, effectively ending the right to an abortion in the United States. Olivia Rodrigo, currently on her first-ever tour, played Washington, DC last night, just a couple of days after that news came out. Rodrigo has never presented herself as an explicitly political artist, but she took a moment from last night’s show to address the news about that pending decision.
Her voice trembling a bit, Rodrigo told the crowd, “Because we’re in DC, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to say how heartbroken I am over the Supreme Court’s potential decision. Our bodies should never be in the hands of politicians. I hope we can raise our voices to protect our right, to have a safe abortion, which is a right that so many people before us have worked so hard to get.” The crowd loudly voiced its agreement. Watch it below.
Other artists, like Phoebe Bridgers and Halsey, have also called for action to prevent Roe Vs. Wade from being overturned. With matters like this, voters can barely do anything to affect the outcome, but the whole thing seems even more awful when you consider that someone like Olivia Rodrigo is 19 — young enough that she’s never been able to vote in a major election. I’d imagine that many of the fans who cheered her statements at last night’s show are even younger — one more sign of a whole country fucking over the people who have never had any power to say anything about it.