Madelyn Ritter expected to leave the St Louis date of Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts tour with merch – she didn’t expect to also go home with some free emergency contraception.
But that’s just what she saw upon entering the stadium. There, right by the women’s bathrooms, was a table where concertgoers could donate to abortion funds and pick up free condoms and morning-after pills, sometimes referred to as Plan B.
“We noticed it immediately,” said Ritter, who is 25 (and, as she jokes, “too old” to love the 21-year-old pop star). “I was like: ‘What’s this about?’ They told me it was free, so my sister, her friend and I all took some. I personally don’t need it, but I’m going to save it in case something bad happens.”
Last month, in conjunction with her world tour, Rodrigo launched the Fund 4 Good campaign, which aims to protect women’s and girls’ reproductive rights. A portion of sales from the tour will go toward the fund. As part of the initiative, Rodrigo paired with the National Network of Abortion Funds, which connected her with local chapters at various stops on the tour.
“There are plenty of singers making a stand about social issues, but I’ve never seen anything like this,” Ritter said.
Abortion is illegal in Missouri. (It is only permitted in the case of an emergency that threatens the life of a pregnant person.) Missouri Republicans are also trying to defund Planned Parenthood, which provides reproductive healthcare like STI screenings and contraception in the state.
Activists who staffed the table Ritter stopped by came from Right by You, a youth-focused text line that connects Missouri teens to abortion care out of state, birth control and information about their rights, and the Missouri Abortion Fund, which helps people cover the cost of an out-of-state abortion.
Stephanie Kraft Sheley, project director of Right by You, said that Rodrigo had not specifically asked for the organization to hand out emergency contraception, which prevents pregnancy. “She invited us, but it was our decision to bring it and hand it out,” Sheley said. “It fills my heart with so much joy and gratitude to Olivia, and it shows how well received it will be when other artists step up and do this. I hope they follow this example.”
Like Ritter, many concertgoers did not initially believe they could get the pill, which retails for up to $50, for free. “There are always some people who reach for the emergency contraception and then say: ‘What do I have to do in order to get this?’ or ‘Is it really free?’” Sheley said. “You might have to repeat that it’s free three times. The look on their face when they realize they’re being cared for and someone wants to help, that’s what we’re here for.”
Artists frequently use their tour stops to campaign for various social causes. HeadCount, an organization that works with musicians to help fans register to vote, has gone on the road with Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Harry Styles and more – including Rodrigo. (Rodrigo herself lambasted the overturning of Roe v Wade at a Glastonbury performance in 2022, telling the conservative supreme court justices: “We hate you.”) Rarely do those initiatives go as far as doling out free emergency contraception.
But as the 2024 election cycle become increasingly tumultuous, softcore activism can feel hollow and phoned-in. On Super Tuesday, Taylor Swift posted an Instagram story urging fans to “vote for the people who most represent YOU into power”. The plea garnered mixed reactions online, with some followers disappointed with the vague, cautious wording.
“I care a lot about who I’m supporting and what I’m putting my money towards,” Ritter said. “I’m glad to know that I’m supporting someone who has the same values that I do.”
Though most emergency contraceptive pills are colloquially known as Plan B due to the ubiquity of that brand, the pills passed out at Rodrigo’s concert came from the startup Julie. A representative for Julie said in a statement that the company aims to “rewrite the morning-after pill for a new generation”. That basically means a rebrand: the package is cute and colorful, unlike more clinical-looking options.
“Replacing the stigma and shame often associated with emergency contraception with access, exploration, and education is core to who we are, and we’re thankful for artists like Olivia Rodrigo and initiatives like the Missouri Abortion Fund who share our mission,” the rep said.
Lizz Winstead founded the Abortion Access Front, a non-profit that fights for reproductive rights nationwide. She praised Rodrigo for centering local organizations doing on-the-ground work in St Louis.
“This gives them the opportunity to provide information and tools like emergency contraception with their branding and contact information,” she said. “Everyone at her shows can learn who to go to for care. Long after Olivia is gone, folks at her show know how and where to connect in their own communities, which creates sustained support. That is exactly what we need right now.”
On Wednesday night, Rodrigo plays in Nebraska, which has a 12-week abortion ban with limited exceptions.
Since Missouri outlawed abortion, activists have tried and failed to put abortion on the Missouri ballot to let voters decide. A recent poll found that Missouri voters favor reproductive rights by a small margin.
Reproductive rights are top-of-mind for Ritter, who works as an emergency women’s health nurse at a hospital in St Louis. She’s administered misoprostol, a medication commonly used in abortions, to women who miscarry. Miscarriages are under increased scrutiny in states with near-total abortion bans, stoking fear of criminal consequences.
“I’ve been there for women on the worst days of their life, and it’s disgusting to think that we don’t have the right to make a decision about the when and where and why of our own bodies,” Ritter said. “As a nurse, and just as someone who cares about women’s healthcare, I will be going to another Olivia Rodrigo show.”
