Phoebe Bridgers has spoken about her unease at standing for abortion rights, a cause that she herself says she has easy access to.
The soloist and Boygenius bandmember reflected in a new interview on her abortion a couple of years ago, saying that she understands that making that decision was easier for her as a “rich lady” who can travel to anywhere to seek the help she needs.
“I got an abortion in 2021,” Bridgers told The Irish Times. “And I played a lot of places in 2022 where that’s illegal. [Even] if it’s not illegal in your state, it’s really hard for poor people to gain access.”
The singer-songwriter added that she’s painfully aware of her privilege that allows her to enter such conversations with ease.
“It is weird to be standing for something I don’t really have to engage with in a real way,” she said. “No matter how you look at it, I’m a rich lady – I can go wherever the fuck I want for an abortion now.
“The idea that we’re singing to kids who it’s impossible for”, she continued, or singing for “trans kids in Tennessee where their school is completely oppressing them and dead-naming them, it’s weird”.
Last year Bridgers appeared on MSNBC news program The Beat With Ari Melber, discussing fans’ reactions to her pro-choice stance and abortion rights activism.
In the interview, Melber inquired as to whether Bridgers has seen fans walk out of her shows when she discusses the topic of abortion on stage. She replied by saying that she’s only seen it happen “a couple of times”, and that she often feels as though she is “preaching to the choir” due to having a largely progressive fanbase.
“It’s always validating, in some way,” she said. “It’s nice to know that a message is getting to somebody that disagrees with me.”
It was in response to the Roe vs Wade case at the time which, if overturned, would mean that abortion is no longer be protected as a federal right in the US. Each state would be able to decide individually whether to restrict or ban abortion.
This new interview with The Irish Times, meanwhile, was for the trio Boygenius, other members of whom also waded into the conversation but more broadly about LGBTQIA+ issues. Boygenius, who identify as queer, have a large LGBTQIA+ fanbase.
Bandmember and fellow soloist Julien Baker said: “To be saddled with the privilege of knowing that you are palatable enough or commodified enough or lucrative for certain industries and people enough to be… impervious or spared from certain things that just would not happen if I was not white and not known for my music.”
In other news, Bridgers and Olivia Rodrigo have opened up about their tour anxiety and the “scary” side of fame.
The post Phoebe Bridgers: “I can go wherever I want for an abortion – we’re singing to kids who it’s impossible for” appeared first on NME.
