Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Mariah Carey, Lizzo, Many More Blast Supreme Court’s Roe V. Wade Overturn

Many statements came in Friday from the music world objecting to the Supreme Court’s expected yet still cataclysmic overturn of Roe v. Wade that was announced in the morning, in what quickly became an avalanche of expressions of sorrow and anger.

Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Mariah Carey, Billie Eilish, Brandi Carlile, Lizzo, Phoebe Bridgers, Pearl Jam, Bette Midler, Amanda Shires, Maren Morris and many others have weighed in. Lizzo even pledged $500,000 from her upcoming tour to Planned Parenthood, with a matching grant from Live Nation.

With the Glastonbury Festival and the BET Awards taking place this weekend, we’re likely to hear from still more stars at these events as well as in their social media stands.

Taylor Swift quote-tweeted former First Lady Michelle Obama’s horrified statement, adding: “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.”

Harry Styles tweeted, “I’m absolutely devastated for the people of America today. Check on your friends. Look after each other. We’re all in this together, and the fight is just beginning. A truly dark day for America.”

Tweeted Mariah Carey: “It is truly unfathomable and disheartening to have to try to explain to my 11 year old daughter why we live in a world where women’s rights are disintegrating in front of our eyes.”

Lizzo made her pledge to put her money where her mouth is with a Planned Parenthood donation, and said Live Nation had agreed to match her. “I’m pledging $500k from my upcoming tour to Planned Parenthood. Live Nation agreed to match— to make it 1 MILLION dollars.”

Brandi Carlile wrote: “I have spent the last 20 years of my life traveling to every state, city and every corner of the American landscape. From Alabama to Georgia, Texas to Tennessee, from New York to California, I have sung songs of hope, inclusivity and love to audiences reflecting those sentiments right back at me by singing along to every word. … The harrowing and unprecedented decision made by SCOTUS today does not represent the heart and soul of the faces I see everyday in America. The politics and policies don’t match the people. We outnumber the oppressors and we are unstoppable when we realize that and vote as a revolutionary body. … This can be undone. … My message today is one of hope.”

Billie Eilish spoke out in her headlining set at Glastonbury Friday night. “Today is a really, really dark day for women in the U.S.,” she said on stage, according to the BBC. “I’m just going to say that because I can’t bear to think about it any longer.” She then dedicated “Your Power,” a song about manipulative behavior by older and more powerful men, to those affected by the decision.

Earlier this year Phoebe Bridgers tweeted: “I had an abortion in October of last year while I was on tour. I went to planned parenthood where they gave me the abortion pill. It was easy. Everyone deserves that kind of access. Here’s a big list of places you can donate to right now.” On Friday, she tweeted simply “Fucking evil,” with no need to add what she was referring to, and added a link to the Mariposa Fund abortion-care providers.

Pearl Jam posted singer Eddie Vedder’s onstage comments in support of abortion rights and wrote in a caption: No one, not the government, not politicians, not the Supreme Court should prevent access to abortion, birth control, and contraceptives. People should have the FREEDOM to choose. Today’s decision impacts everyone and it will particularly affect poor women who can’t afford to travel to access health care.

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Country artist Amanda Shires, who is married to singer Jason Isbell, followed up a powerful op-ed she wrote for Rolling Stone with a lengthy interview on Friday in which she demanded that more artists speak out:

“When I wrote my first piece for Rolling Stone, I’d had an abortion before. Since writing that op-ed, I have had reproductive healthcare — that some might call an abortion — when I was hospitalized in Texas on August 9, 2021, with a ruptured fallopian tube caused by an ectopic pregnancy. For those who are unfamiliar, it is impossible for an ectopic pregnancy to go to term. I would have died; my daughter, Mercy, would have lost her mother; my husband, Jason, would be a widower.

“I was lucky,” she continued. “This happened to me two and a half weeks before Texas’ abortion ban went into effect. And I was still dealing with all of it two and a half weeks later. I mean, only just now — nine months later, interestingly enough — have I returned to having normal periods. This fight is about more than just abortion. I think that’s what people keep forgetting.”

Read the full article here.

John Legend posted a video of riot police outside the Capitol with the caption “Storm troopers on their way to tell women to shut up and accept government mandated childbirth. Sickening.”

Bette Midler, never one to shy away from a fight, fired off a long string of tweets on Friday beginning with “They did it. THEY DID IT TO US! ”

Alicia Keys was equally unfiltered, tweeting “Fuckin bullshit! This decision is about more than abortion, it’s about who has power over you, who has authority to make decisions for you, and who is going to control how your future turns out.”

Carole King wrote: “Reproductive healthcare is on the ballot. Organize & plan your vote.”

Billie Eilish’s brother Finneas fired off a long series of tweets and retweets — while his sister had not yet posted at the time of this article’s publication, she has been an outspoken supporter of abortion rights and seems very likely to comment during her headilning set at the Glastonbury festival on Friday.

Singer Zara Larsson fired off a series of tweets as well, notably this important one:

Maren Morris told Rolling Stone: “Today, I hold my two year old son with tears streaming down my face because all my love and planning still wasn’t enough to protect him from being born in a country who could do this to women. Women, the ones who gave each Supreme Court Justice on the bench the right to be here, the dexterity of their pen hand,” she continues. “Tomorrow I will fight, but today I am grieving.”

Other statements from musicians follow.

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