Phoebe Bridgers Speaks Out About Abortion Access: ‘Shout-Out to Planned Parenthood’

27 October, 2022

You may know Phoebe Bridgers for tracks like “Kyoto,” “Moon Song” and “Motion Sickness” or her best new artist Grammy nomination, but the 28-year-old indie-pop darling is much more than a musician. Bridgers has been using her platform to speak out against injustices, and she’s staying vocal as Teen Vogue‘s October cover star.

Bridgers chatted with Teen Vogue news & politics editor Lexi Mcmenamin on a variety of topics, including abortion rights and LGBTQ+ visibility in rock and pop.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and with the rise of female and genderqueer artists in rock such as Mitski and Pom Pom Squad, Bridgers said it’s sad that the community has been “forced to identify with white boys” for decades.

“I think it shows you how desperate we’ve all been for any f—ing representation,” Bridgers told Teen Vogue. “I also think at the heart of it, it’s just wanting to be understood.”

As far as who has access to abortion, Bridgers believes white middle-class and upper-class people are always going to have access to reproductive-health resources, whether it’s flying to another state or family assistance.

“It’s just so much harder for the people that it was already hard for, so I like the organizations that are making life easier for those people,” she said.

In her interview with Teen Vogue, Bridgers notes that women shouldn’t let anyone freak them out about abortion “because unless you’re doing it in an unsafe way, there are resources for you if you’re trying to get one — and you should f—ing have one for whatever reason,” she continued. “It’s super safe. Shout-out to Planned Parenthood. I was very held during it.”

Bridgers, who has been open about her own abortion story, also discussed the experience with The Guardian ahead of her appearance at Glastonbury in June. The artist said she didn’t give much thought before posting on social media about her experience at Planned Parenthood, adding that her decision to have an abortion was not an emotional one. “I wasn’t f—ing emotional at all,” she told The Guardian. “Hormonally crazy! But I don’t think you should assign ‘it tore me up’ to me. No! I don’t think about it as a baby, of course not.”

Bridgers was inspired to first share her story via social media after Politico leaked the Supreme Court’s draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade. “I had an abortion in October of last year while I was on tour,” Bridgers tweeted. “I went to Planned Parenthood, where they gave me the abortion pill. It was easy. Everyone deserves that kind of access.”

Read the full story on Teen Vogue.