Billie Eilish is so sick of the rhetoric around abortion laws, she’s taking matters into her own hands and parting ways with her hard-earned cash.
In a recent Instagram story, Eilish told her 38.1M followers that she’d be dedicating her performance at the upcoming Music Midtown Festival and donating a portion of her fees to the reproductive healthcare organisation.
“Atlanta. One of my favourite places in the world, to be in, to play shows. But I do not love the state’s lawmaker’s decision to take away women’s rights,” Eilish wrote. “I can’t believe we are even having this conversation in 2019.”
“I’m dedicating my performance and donating a portion of my guarantee to @plannedparenthood. We need this organisation more than ever,” she added. Planned Parenthood responded to Eilish via Twitter, thanking her for the support.
According to The New York Times, Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia signed one of the “most restrictive abortion laws” in May this year. The law would effectively ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy which is typically when doctors are able detect a heartbeat.
Sadly, this controversial “fetal heartbeat bill” isn’t exclusive to Georgia. Across the United States, several states have proposed the bill and it has already successfully passed in Ohio, Missouri and, of course, Georgia.
Credit: Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File
While there is no fetal heartbeat bill enforced in Australia, we are still facing our own hurdles when it comes to abortion laws. Today, the NSW abortion bill debate resumes in parliament to decide whether abortion should be legalised in the state.
The new legislation will allow terminations up to 22 weeks – and later, with the consent of two doctors. While there are plenty of MPs supporting the decriminalisation of abortion, there are opponents of the bill who have raised concerns about late-term abortions, sex-selection and conscientious objection.
Yesterday, at a rally to oppose abortion decriminalisation in Sydney’s Hyde Park, former PM Tony Abbott called the proposed bill “infanticide on demand.”
Credit: AAP Image/James Gourley
It’s so important for people with a platform, like Billie Eilish, to keep on standing up against these kinds of comments and continue fighting for women’s rights.