Olivia Rodrigo defends abortion rights at Washington, D.C. concert : NPR

Olivia Rodrigo defends abortion rights at Washington, D.C. concert : NPR

Olivia Rodrigo performs during her 2022 SOUR Tour at Radio City Music Hall on April 26, 2022 in New York City. She spoke up in support of abortion rights while performing in Washington, D.C. this week.

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Olivia Rodrigo performs during her 2022 SOUR Tour at Radio City Music Hall on April 26, 2022 in New York City. She spoke up in support of abortion rights while performing in Washington, D.C. this week.

Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Pop star Olivia Rodrigo spoke out about protecting the right to legal abortion in Washington, D.C. last night. And she wasn’t at a rally for reproductive rights — she was onstage in the middle of her own concert.

The 19-year-old is touring North America and Europe performing songs from her wildly popular debut album, Sour.

According to videos and social media posts from audience members, Rodrigo took a moment between songs to address the topic, which is top-of-mind for many in the wake of the leak of the draft Supreme Court opinion that calls for overturning Roe v. Wade.

“Because we’re in D.C., I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to say how heartbroken I am over the Supreme Court’s potential decision,” Rodrigo said, as the crowd began to cheer.

“Our bodies should never be in the hands of politicians,” she added. “I hope we can raise our voices to protect our right to have a safe abortion, which is a right that so many people before us have worked so hard to get.”

Rodrigo’s comments come a day after fellow singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers shared that she had had an abortion last fall and urged people to donate to abortion funds in states that already have restricted access to the procedure.

This story originally appeared in the Morning Edition live blog.

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