Singer Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS World Tour kicked off in February of 2024. She is donating a portion of her proceeds to the Fund 4 Good to supporting reproduction rights of women. Rodrigo is also working with the National Network of Abortion Funds which provided free contraception and educational materials during her concerts, including condoms, lube, and emergency contraception (aka “morning after pill” or Plan B).

This caused controversy among opponents of contraception, who often mistake emergency contraception, ulipristal acetate and levonorgestrel, for the drugs used to cause abortions, mifepristone and misoprostol. Emergency contraception drugs do not cause abortions, rather, they prevent conception. Levonorgestrel is supposed to be available in the US, without a prescription to all ages, while ulipristal acetate (brand name Ella) requires a prescription and often isn’t stocked.

In March 2024, Rodrigo’s team asked the Abortion Fund to stop distributing condoms, lube, and emergency contraception pills because of the presence of children at her concerts. This caused controversy with proponents of accessible contraception who believe teens should have had access to condoms and emergency contraception. The National Abortion Fund said they will continue to provide information about contraception but they hope that Rodrigo’s team will change their stance for future concerts.

Is emergency contraception safe for underage teens?

The AAP recommends that teens have prescriptions for emergency contraception in advance so that they can be filled as needed, in an emergency (thus the name). Some examples of an emergency include a failure of regular contraception (a broken condom for example), missing a dose or throwing up oral contraception, unprotected sex without contraception, and of course, the terrible possibility of sexual assault or abuse. Because emergency contraception is time-sensitive (the sooner it’s taken the more effective it is at preventing conception) is why its called emergency conception.

Sources:

Dailey, Hannah. 15 March 2024. “Abortion Funds Asked to Not Hand Out Emergency Contraceptive Pills at Olivia Rodrigo’s Concerts.” billboard.

Shenfeld, Ethan. 15 March 2024. “Abortion Funds at Olivia Rodrigo Concerts No Longer Allowed to Distribute Contraceptives” Variety.

American Academy of Pediatrics. “When Should Teens Use Emergency Contraception?” Healthy Children.org