After Roe V. Wade, a Supreme Court decision that gave women's reproductive health constitutional protection, was overturned by the Supreme Court in June, an expected outcry erupted from the music community.
It didn’t take long before prominent pop culture figures were using their platforms to speak out against the ruling and share their own stories.
Major artists such as Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, and Kendrick Lamar spoke up during their sets at the 2022 Glastonbury Festival in the U.K., which was taking place as Roe v. Wade was reversed in the U.S.
“Today is a really really dark day for women in the U.S.,” said Eilish during her set.
Other artists came forward to talk about their experiences choosing to terminate past pregnancies and why the right to that decision was so important.
"I feel like the God that I believe in gave me the brain and the thinking and the knowledge to know what I should be able to do with my body," said Amanda Shrines on Instagram.
“Everyone deserves that kind of access,” said Phoebe Bridgers about her abortion on Twitter.
The natural relationship between politics and music is prominent throughout music history. Mass trends in music and the formation of many popular genres were founded with political inspiration because of the art form’s accessibility and the ability to express opinions and communicate ideas through music.
The Historical Relationship Between Politics and Music
Blues and jazz as a result of slavery and African Americans calling for self support through community rather than the government were some of the first anti-establishment influenced genres that the West saw.
Protest anthems during the Civil Rights Movement became signifiers of the political state of the 60’s and 70’s.
The emergence of third-wave feminists during the Civil Rights Era and their establishment in the 90’s brought some of the most influential music written by women and for women.
Feminist Movement's Influence on Music
The third-wave feminists’ mission for female empowerment was fought through issues such as intersectionality, sexual harassment, and violence against women. But one of the key identifiers of this wave was their pursuit of sexual liberation, including embracing one’s sexuality and gender expression, and protecting reproductive rights.
These ideals are what founded the underground punk movement, riot grrrl. The political relevance in the riot grrrl genre is fundamental as their political activism goals premised their emergence and much of their music.
After the Supreme Court decision in 1973 that ruled in favor of Jane Roe, granting the constitutional rights to abortions in the U.S., there was plenty of national discourse to fuel the music world.
Despite the Roe v. Wade ruling, anti-abortion rhetoric doubled down instead of lightened up. Acts of violence such arson and bombings directed at abortion clinics across the U.S. surged. In addition, the political climate became threatening towards women by introducing anti-abortion legislation, making the right to reproductive health vulnerable.
This looming threat against women's reproductive rights sparked collaboration within the feminist punk community. The all female rock-band, L7, founded what would be the first of many pro-choice benefit concerts called Rock for Choice.
Rock for Choice
First held in 1991, the Rock for Choice concert gave artists an opportunity to speak up for women's reproductive rights in a time where they were at risk. Held in Hollywood, California, the lineup of the show contained big names such as Nirvana, Hole, L7, and more.
The series gained sponsorship of the Feminist Majority Foundation, an organization whose goal was to promote equality and economic development for women. The concerts continued to host major names in music such as Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, No Doubt, Pearl Jam, and many more.
Until the series' last show in 2004, they spent a decade putting on benefits whenever and wherever needed. The series' influence inspired side benefits such as Rap for Choice and Rave for Choice and raised hundreds of thousands dollars towards women's reproductive rights.
Lasting Influence and Current Efforts
Despite the end of the Rock for Choice Benefit Series, impact hasn’t ended. Noise for Now, a benefit concert in Santa Fe, has worked with over 280 artists such as Fiona Apple, Death Cab for Cutie, Cyndi Lauper, and Neil Young to raise over $675,000 for reproductive health organizations since 2017. Lizzo and Rage Against the Machine both recently pledged half a million each for abortion services, with many other artists following in their footsteps.
These efforts, made by the artists of our time and those of previous generations, aren’t groundbreaking but inherent to music's goal: to communicate emotion. When there is national adversity, musicians are entitled to use their craft as an outlet of political frustration as well as create the universally enjoyed songs that speak to everyone.
Listen to some of the songs written over the years in support of women's reproductive rights.