Olivia Rodrigo concertgoers receive free condoms, morning-after pills
By Bryan Ke
Fans who attended Olivia Rodrigo’s concert in Missouri reportedly received a package of emergency contraceptives as part of the singer’s initiative to raise awareness about women’s reproductive health.
Key points:
- Rodrigo, 21, held the concert in St. Louis on Tuesday as one of her stopovers for her Guts World Tour, which includes several U.S. cities and other locations in Europe.
- The contraceptives effort was part of Rodrigo’s “Fund 4 Good” initiative, which aims to create an “equitable and just future for all women, girls and people seeking reproductive health freedom.” Rodrigo, a staunch advocate of women’s reproductive health, announced the initiative on Feb. 24.
- Stephanie Kraft Sheley, project director of Right By You, one of the two advocacy groups Rodrigo’s team partnered with at the concert, clarified in a statement to NPR that they were the ones who decided to bring the emergency contraception, “which we always do when we table.” Kraft added, “It wasn’t necessarily something [Olivia’s team] asked us to do.” Right By You is a non-profit organization text-line that helps “young people in Missouri understand all pregnancy options.”
The details:
- One X user shared a picture of the emergency contraceptive package they received from the concert. The picture shows the user received two boxes of Julie, a type of emergency contraception taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex to help prevent pregnancy.
- Many fans expressed support for Rodrigo’s advocacy in their comments under the post, with one user writing, “I stand with Olivia, not everyone wants to be a mother and can’t provide a proper lifestyle for their child.” Another X user wrote, “She’s freaking awesome for partnering with them to do this.”
- Right By You handed out the packages at the concert with the help of Missouri Abortion Fund, another partner in the drive, the group explained in a post on X. Missouri Abortion Fund is a non-profit organization that provides “public education and support for people needing reproductive health services.”
- In addition to the Julie boxes, the package also included cards with QR codes that, when scanned, directed individuals to the Missouri Abortion Fund for abortion access resources. Other fans reportedly received free condoms and stickers at the event.
- Julie thanked Rodrigo and the Missouri Abortion Fund for their initiative, writing in a statement, “Replacing the stigma and shame often associated with emergency contraception with access, exploration, and education is core to who we are.”
Big picture:
- Missouri was one of the 21 states who either banned or severely restricted abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
- After the decision was announced, Rodrigo criticized the ruling and mentioned the five Supreme Court members who voted against it during her performance at the Glastonbury Festival in England that month.
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