Abortion funds applaud Olivia Rodrigo's support: 'She'll take guts'

Almost two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision, access to abortion in the US is seriously threatened. “Abortion today requires more money, more time and more planning than ever before,” says Oriaku Njoku, executive director of National Network of Abortion Funds. She adds that the 100 member organizations that make up her group have seen a simultaneous drop in donations to abortion funds – a drop that couldn't have come at a worse time.

Enter Olivia Rodrigo. Last Friday, when he launched her Offal world tour in Southern California, the pop singer announced the launch of Fund 4 Good, a new reproductive health initiative. Named after her 2021 success 'good 4 u', the fund will direct a share of all ticket revenue from North American stops Offal NNAF tour — helping the group's local chapters eliminate barriers to abortion access in many ways, whether that's covering the cost of the procedure itself or the costs of travel, child care and lost wages for people who need abortions. “It goes right back to the communities that need help,” says Njoku.

Beyond that financial support, the spotlight a Gen Z pop star like Rodrigo brings to abortion and reproductive health care funds is immeasurable. “I feel like this is a huge opportunity to show how cruel and awful abortion funds are,” adds Njoku.

Rodrigo has long been vocal about her support for reproductive rights. In 2022, the day after Dobbs Verdict, took to the Glastonbury stage with Lily Allen, dedicating Allen's 2009 hit “Fuck You” to the five High Court judges who overturned Roe. “I am devastated and terrified,” Rodrigo told the audience. “So many women and so many girls will die because of this.”

It's a grim reality, but by working with NNAF, Rodrigo provides a glimmer of hope. “It's moments like this where you'll be working with someone like Olivia Rodrigo that remind us that there are moments of joy in a lot of such hardship,” says Njoku.

The Livies, as Rodrigo's most dedicated fans are known, will have the opportunity to interact directly with people fighting for breeding rights on the ground, with local membership organization tents set up at each Offal US tour stop “This idea of ​​leading the Livies into the reproductive freedom movement is so painful,” says Njoku. Chapters will share information about abortion funds, access to abortion and how anti-abortion legislation affects local communities.

This week, the Offal The tour takes place in Texas – a key battleground in the abortion rights fight – with stops in Houston, Dallas and Austin. “It shines a light on the local work people are doing on the ground,” says Anna Rupani, executive director of the NNAF-affiliated group. Fund Texas Choice. “When you're in Texas versus when you're in New York, the realities are so different. In Texas, for example, our clients travel thousands of miles round trip to get to the care they need.”

While NNAF works with local resources across the country, there is strength in their presence in a state like Texas, which has had particularly draconian anti-abortion laws since Dobbs. “Being present and visible is like this joyful act of resistance, despite the laws,” adds Njoku.

While Rodrigo isn't the first musician to actively support abortion funds — Lizzo, Paramore and Lucy Dacus, among others, have donated all of their tour profits to such funds in the past — the timing and manner of whom he helps are remarkable for Njoku. “To be able to speak unapologetically about abortion and raise funds for abortion in this way is like using this platform so great,” she says. It feels cheesy to say, but Njoku can't help himself: “It takes guts to fund abortions right now.”