The US Supreme Court caused fury and panic when they overturned ‘Roe v. Wade’ – the landmark 1973 judgement that made abortion a constitutional right – on June 24. Struck down by a 6-3 majority, the end of Roe v. Wade may lead to approximately 28 US states outlawing or restricting access to abortions, the New York Times reported. This is bound to have a grave impact on healthcare and has instigated protests countrywide.
In its aftermath, several musicians came forward to make their disgust and anger known, share resources, and provide support online. Some who had tours and performances lined up immediately after, used their platform to express their frustration at the Supreme Court.
I’m absolutely terrified that this is where we are – that after so many decades of people fighting for women’s rights to their own bodies, today’s decision has stripped us of that. https://t.co/mwK561oxxl
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 24, 2022
These five musicians, among many others, did not hold back while criticising the Supreme Court for a ruling that directly infringes upon the basic reproductive rights of people:
Olivia Rodrigo
olivia rodrigo: “so many women and so many girls are gonna die because of this” no sugarcoating at all! as it SHOULD BE! and then proceeding to call out the 5 members of the Supreme Court!! pic.twitter.com/rv3R6p39Cu
— caro (@jelousyliv) June 25, 2022
The ‘drivers license’ singer was not one to mince her words during her performance with Lily Allen at the Glastonbury Festival. “So many women and so many girls are going to die because of this,” she said, before naming the five Supreme Court members – Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh. “We hate you.” She dedicated Allen’s ‘Fuck You’ to them, for proving that at the end of the day, “they truly don’t give a shit about freedom.”
Phoebe Bridgers
.@phoebe_bridgers at #Glastonbury: “You wanna say fuck the Supreme Court on 3?” pic.twitter.com/9v3DBk8sPY
— Jami Ganz (@jamiganz) June 24, 2022
Also at Glastonbury, Phoebe Bridgers got fans to chant “Fuck the Supreme Court” with her. “Fuck that shit. Fuck America. Like, fuck you. All these irrelevant old motherfuckers trying to tell us what to do with our fucking bodies,” she said. Previously, Bridgers had shared her own story about getting an abortion while on tour.
Billie Joe Armstrong
"F*** America!" @billiejoe told fans in the UK over Roe v Wade decision, saying he'll be "renouncing his citizenship," @MariaLeaf reports.
https://t.co/tdNugnO4Ur pic.twitter.com/nMZbefDDOR
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) June 26, 2022
The Green Day vocalist told the crowd at his London concert that he wanted to renounce his US citizenship after they overturned Roe v. Wade. Calling America a “miserable fucking excuse for a country”, he said he wanted to move to the UK. Green Day has never shied away from making their opinions known. In 2016, when Donald Trump was elected President, they said “This one goes out to our new president” before playing their hit song ‘American Idiot’ at a concert.
I saw Green Day right after the 2016 election and they said ‘THIS ONE GOES OUT TO OUR NEW PRESIDENT’ then played American idiot, same energy https://t.co/HL6u4dzka7
— Benjamin Berg (@bergywergy3030) June 26, 2022
Kesha
Kesha speaks on the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade at New York’s Stone Wall Day Pride event.
“We all need to stick together, and we really need to remember that this shit was punk. This was not easy. This is not going to be easy, and we are not done fighting.” pic.twitter.com/FiM9S4ELvs— Kesha Legion (@KeshaLegion) June 25, 2022
Kesha recently took to the stage at Pride Live’s Stonewall Day. The event celebrates the legacy of the historic Stonewall Riots that paved the way for the LGBTQ+ rights movements in the USA. “We all need to stick together, and we really need to remember that this shit was punk. This was not easy. This is not going to be easy, and we are not done fighting,” she told the crowd.
Billie Eilish
.@billieeilish during her set @glastonbury: “Today is a very dark day for women in America. … I can’t bear to think about it anymore.” #roevwade pic.twitter.com/d5m7nGJHl9
— Jami Ganz (@jamiganz) June 24, 2022
During her Glastonbury set, Billie echoed the prevailing sentiment. “Today is a really really dark day for women in America,” she said. “I’m just going to say that because I can’t bear to think about it anymore in this moment.” She then performed her song ‘Your Power’, which revolves around the abuse of power, alongside her brother, pop musician FINNEAS.
