In the time since Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and other state lawmakers signed "heartbeat bills" into laws, which would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, many high-profile individuals — from filmmakers to hundreds of CEOs — have spoken out publicly in support of abortion rights.
Most recently, Ariana Grande, who is touring for her albums Sweetener and thank u, next, decided to donate proceeds from her show in Atlanta to Planned Parenthood, according to PEOPLE. The total donation reportedly came out to around $250,000.
Planned Parenthood's president, Leana Wen, MD, tweeted that she is "so grateful" for the pop superstar's "longstanding commitment to supporting women’s rights and standing with Planned Parenthood to defend access to reproductive healthcare." In a statement to PEOPLE, Dr. Wen added that this donation came at a crucial time, not just for Georgia state residents, but for the rest of the country as well.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
There's been a devastating wave of anti-choice legislation passed this summer alone. Since January, at least 378 abortion restrictions have been introduced, 40% of which banned the procedure, according to the Guttmacher Institute. To date, four other states have signed "heartbeat bills" into laws including Ohio, Kentucky, Mississippi. (To be clear: "heartbeat" is a misnomer used by anti-abortion lawmakers to intentionally confuse people.) In May, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed a bill into a law banning abortions at eight weeks. The last abortion clinic in the state was at risk of closing, but on Monday, a judge allowed it to stay open for at least 10 more days.
"This is not what the American people want, nor is it something they’ll stand for," Dr. Wen told PEOPLE.
While Grande has not publicly commented on the donation (Refinery29 has reached out for comment, but did not hear back at the time of publish), many fans showed their support for her decision on Twitter. What's clear is that we stan a queen who supports reproductive rights.