Pro-abortion Hollywood boosts Lizzo-led abortion rights and Live Nation’s $1 million donation

Hollywood abortion rights advocates have struggled — and opened their wallets in ever more creative ways — to support reproductive rights since the June 24 Supreme Court decision that overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade.

Supporters, led by Lizzo’s $1 million donation and Live Nation, are increasing their support for long-standing advocacy organizations and grassroots groups (especially those helping women gain access to essential medical care) as use. Celebrity and influencer to inspire more donations. As pro-abortion advocates increase donations, the hollywood reporter spoke with a showrunner, a manager/producer, an employee at an entertainment law firm and a leader of a women’s advocacy group in Hollywood about what organizations they currently support in the fight for abortion rights.

“Hollywood is rallying in support of leading organizations like the Center for Reproductive Rights, which defended Dobbs before the Supreme Court, as it prepares for this moment, and incredible leaders have emerged,” said Hannah Linkenhocker, executive director of Hollywood Law. Entertainment. . signature. Johnson Shapiro. The center has actresses Elizabeth Banks, Amy Brenneman, Lisa Edelstein, Aja Naomi King and Bassie Phillips as members of the Board of Ambassadors, and producer Heidi Lindelof is a member of the board.

“The center has really created a strong community in Hollywood,” Linkenhocker continues, “and that community has generated funding, exposure, messages and more to influence the movement for reproductive rights and access to abortion.”

Many in the entertainment industry also donate to the venerable Planned Parenthood, including Ellen Goldsmith-Venn of the Gotham Group, who calls the nonprofit “a trusted resource for women for over 100 years.”

Lizo expressed her support for Planned Parenthood. Hours after the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Grammy-winning superstar announced that she would donate $500,000 of proceeds from her upcoming tour to an organization that provides reproductive health care to women across the country, as well as the National Health Network. reproductive. Funds (NNAF). Live Nation, sponsor of the multi-date tour, agreed to donate to Lizzo, bringing the total to $1 million.

This week, Olivia Wilde hosted an online discussion with Doctors for Reproductive Health, an organization she has supported for many years. Many stars are also joining the protests that have erupted across the country, including Phillips, who was arrested Thursday, June 30, at an abortion rights protest in Washington, D.C., and Jodie Sweetin.Full house s more complete house), who was recently arrested by police at an abortion rally in Los Angeles. Additionally, Sweetin sponsored an Instagram fundraiser that raised $5,000 for Planned Parenthood.

“Our activism will continue until our voices are heard and action is taken,” Sweetin said in a statement. “It won’t stop us; We will continue to fight for our rights. We are not free until we are all free.”

Others in the entertainment industry have turned to social media to help raise funds. producer and screenwriter Liz Meriwether (abandonment, a new girl) recently hosted an Instagram fundraiser for The Brigid Alliance that raised over $6,000 in donations.

“When the leaks came out in May, I donated to the National Abortion Funding Network, which is an amazing umbrella organization that funds many small local groups that do the work on the ground to get people the care they need. ”, Merwether. tell him THR. “Now I am also donating to Brigid Alliance as they directly fund all travel and logistics for people seeking abortion services and demand for the group has increased. I’m also donating to Plan C, an organization that provides medical abortions by mail to anyone who requests them.”

Debra Messing shared information about The Brigid Alliance and Apiary for Practical Support, a national non-profit technical assistance center for organizations that provide practical support to people seeking abortions. And Bon Iver is sponsoring The Brigid Alliance’s giving program, which will match donations of up to $22,000. Linkenhocker also supports Keep Our Clinics, a fundraising campaign to support independent abortion clinics that provide most abortion services in the EE. UU It is more likely that they are located in states that are working to prohibit abortion. Abortion could be banned or severely restricted in more than 20 states this year following a Supreme Court ruling (about five states currently have bans), prompting many women to travel to states that allow abortion for reproductive health reasons.

Ariana DeBose, speaking with Jimmy Fallon this week, said she is focusing her fundraising efforts on “making a difference locally, so I’m trying to find abortion funds in my community that I can support to help anyone. The uterus.” In her YouTube clip of Debose’s appearance on the show, the show tonight shared a link to the National Network of Abortion Foundations with their fans.

And entertainment figures like Whoopi Goldberg, Chelsea Handler, Ireland Baldwin and Laura Prepon share their personal abortion stories while promoting support for reproductive rights.

Other Hollywood insiders are coming up with unique ways to engage their followers. bojack the knight Showrunner Raphael Bob-Waksberg offered a lottery – promise Five Twitter followers received signed scripts from their favorites bojack the knight episode if they emailed proof that they had donated to an abortion fund.

Some celebrities focused on political action and the upcoming midterm elections. Julia Louis-Dreyfus wrote on Twitter and promised to match $10,000 in donations to 11 pro-choice candidates for state legislatures where abortion rights are on the table in the upcoming midterm elections. He also pledged to donate $10,000 to 80 local abortion funds.

On July 9, a Hollywood contingent may also appear in Washington, DC, as the Women’s March sponsors an abortion rights protest in the nation’s capital. Its registration page includes a box that participants who want to risk being arrested can check off.

Industry organizations have also banded together to provide their members with information about trusted resources and locations. “We’ve created a resource list that includes what different entertainment companies are doing for their employees, as well as general resources,” says Kirsten Shaffer, executive director of Women in Film, which advocates for women in the entertainment industry. “Many of them are abortion funds… like ARC Southeast, Northwest Abortion Access Fund, Midwest Access Coalition, Texas Choice Fund. People had scheduled abortions and their abortions were cancelled, so now they have to leave the state to have an abortion. And that’s what these funds help them to do.

Shaffer says he’s seen a positive reaction to the Women in Film resource list, which includes a link to support the National Network of Abortion Foundations. “People are turning to our newsletter for resources they really value care and concern for. In addition, they value access to resources,” she says.

Amid the flood of donations, abortion rights advocates in Hollywood are warning potential donors to ensure their funds go to legitimate organizations. “Use your network to check credibility, check the organization’s nonprofit status – look at their 990, look at their Charity Navigator, look at their board of directors to make sure they’re reputable,” says Linkenhocker.

And with abortion advocates saying their fight to restore access across the country is sure to be a long one, many pro-choice advocates see strategic giving as a way forward.

“Right now, I’m donating to groups that directly impact people seeking abortion, and then I’ll do another round of donations to political action groups and voter mobilization groups that will fight for the long term,” says Meriwether. “This is going to be a long fight on many different fronts, and I think everyone who supports access to abortion should be ready for a marathon.” The most important thing is to be engaged and active, as my friend Rebecca Traister so beautifully wrote. Cut“Despair is poison.”