During her “Guts” world tour stop in St. Louis, Mo., on March 13, Olivia Rodrigo partnered with the Missouri Abortion Fund to distribute condoms and boxes of Julie, a brand of the morning-after pill, to concertgoers.
“Thank you to @oliviarodrigo for allowing us to table at your STL GUTS world tour stop! It’s brutal out here in Missouri!” the Missouri Abortion Fund posted on Instagram, referencing a song lyric from Rodrigo’s debut album, Sour.
Kaiya Olsen, 26, who attended the St. Louis show on Tuesday, told Yahoo Entertainment that she and her friend visited the Missouri Abortion Fund booth at the show.
“We visited the table, chatted with the representatives and collected a few stickers and the free Plan B,” Olsen said. “I love seeing Olivia stand up for what she believes in, and it’s refreshing to see a pop star quite literally putting her money where her mouth is! I think this instance is setting the tone for fans and celebrities alike, actions speak louder than words.”
Mads Ritter, 25, also visited the booth at the St. Louis concert.
“I love that [Rodrigo] is giving out contraceptives at a concert and that she supports women’s rights so outwardly,” Ritter, a registered nurse, told Yahoo Entertainment. “As a nurse and an abortion advocate, I love that she’s doing this.”
How Olivia Rodrigo is supporting women’s reproductive health care in other ways
This isn’t the only way Rodrigo is championing women’s reproductive health care on tour.
The “Vampire” singer launched Fund 4 Good, a global initiative supporting nonprofits that prioritizes reproductive rights as well as girls’ education and the prevention of gender-based violence, in collaboration with her “Guts” world tour.
At each of Rodrigo’s stops during her North American tour, there is a designated National Network of Abortion Funds booth set up with organization representatives who can further educate fans on how to access local care. On Instagram, where Rodrigo has more than 36 million followers, she also spotlights nonprofit organizations specific to the city she’s performing in ahead of every show.
A representative for Rodrigo did not immediately respond to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment.
Julie, a progestin‑only emergency contraception product, which was launched in 2022 “to rewrite the morning-after experience for a new generation,” said in a statement obtained by Yahoo Entertainment that the company was “thankful for artists like Olivia Rodrigo and initiatives like the Missouri Abortion Fund who share our mission” to make emergency contraceptives more accessible.
Yahoo Entertainment reached out to the Missouri Abortion Fund for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Why Missouri?
When a draft of the Supreme Court’s opinion around the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision leaked in May 2022, Rodrigo paused her Washington, D.C., concert to defend abortion rights.
“Our bodies should never be in the hands of politicians,” Rodrigo told the crowd during her May 4, 2022, “Sour” tour stop. “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.”
💬 | “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.”
— Olivia tonight at #SOURTOURdc!
— Olivia Rodrigo Daily (@DailyRodrigo) May 5, 2022
Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey on June 24, 2022, Missouri was among a handful of states that saw its previously unconstitutional anti-abortion laws, also known as “trigger” laws, go into effect.
Missouri became the first state to ban abortion when Roe v. Wade was overturned.
While fans applauded Rodrigo for taking a stand by supplying contraception to her audience, her move was not without criticism. “It may be too soon to assess the move’s larger impact,” Lauren Wright, an associate research scholar and lecturer in politics and public affairs at Princeton University, told Yahoo Entertainment.
“I think the main result is definitely attention-getting, which is smart for the artist because it brings attention to her tour, and it certainly becomes a popular news story during election season, again perhaps exciting the left and maybe angering the right. Celebrities are great at getting attention and drawing the attention of their fans to certain issues,” Wright added.
“Most people have already formed solid views about abortion and reproductive-health related issues,” she explained. “If it has any impact, it might energize Democrats and liberal-leaning voters and alienate or anger Republicans and conservative-leaning voters.”
That’s not to say Rodrigo’s activism was ineffective.
Dr. Karen Tang is a board-certified gynecologist and author of the forthcoming book It’s Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (But Were Never Told). She told Yahoo Entertainment that she was “thrilled” to learn that Rodrigo distributed emergency contraceptives, especially in a state that prohibits abortions.
“Both condoms and emergency contraceptives like Julie or Plan B are available over the counter, but cost or access can always be an issue. Especially in states where strict abortion bans are in place, anything that increases access to effective birth control and helps to prevent unwanted pregnancies is a positive thing,” Tang said.
Addressing criticism that “giving out condoms or emergency contraception would ‘encourage promiscuity,’” she defended Rodrigo’s move.
“I’d refer them to the data that accurate sex education and resources do not increase sexual activity in people who aren’t already sexually active — but they do decrease both STIs and unplanned pregnancies in those who are,” Tang explained.
