Olivia Rodrigo offers morning-after pills in Missouri where abortion is banned

ST. LOUIS (KTVI) — Pop singer Olivia Rodrigo teamed up with the Missouri Abortion Fund to give out free emergency birth control pills and condoms to concertgoers at her St. Louis show.

Rodrigo visited St. Louis on Tuesday evening as part of her GUTS world tour. X user @cowboylikekin posted a viral photo of the condoms and Julie contraceptive pills that were distributed at the concert. The image has been liked more than 30,000 times.

Volunteers with the Missouri Abortion Fund handed out the pills, condoms and stickers at Tuesday’s concert. The nonprofit aims to provide assistance to Missouri residents who cannot afford the cost of abortion care.

Rodrigo, a vocal advocate for women’s reproductive rights, also promoted an initiative called “Fund 4 Good” around her St. Louis show. A portion of proceeds from the St. Louis ticket sales will go toward the Missouri Abortion Fund and Text Right By You, an organization that educates young people about reproductive health.

In this file image, Olivia Rodrigo performs inductee Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

A portion of proceeds from other shows will benefit local chapters of the National Network of Abortion Funds in conjunction with Rodrigo’s GUTS tour. Organizers say the initiative is “committed to building an equitable and just future for women and girls through direct support of community based non-profits that champion girls’ education, support reproductive rights and prevent gender-based violence.”

Missouri’s abortion rules are considered among the strictest nationwide. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, the state’s Republican-led legislature moved to ban almost all abortions. Only abortions in cases deemed “medical emergencies” are legal in Missouri now.

Abortion rights advocates with Missourians for Constitutional Freedom are pushing for a ballot measure through Missouri’s initiative petition process, looking to amend Missouri’s constitution with a law that would make abortion legal until viability.

To place the issue on this November’s ballot, the campaign must collect around 180,000 signatures in support of the petition and turn the signatures in to the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office by May 5.