Billie Eilish Slams Texas Abortion Law At Austin City Limits Fest

Austin TX

05 October, 2021

10:21 AM

Description

AUSTIN, TX — Singer Billie Eilish bashed Texas' restrictive abortion law during her set at the Austin City Limits Music Festival on Saturday. During a break between songs, the words "Bans Off Our Bodies" flashed on the screen behind the 19-year-old singer as she spoke. She admitted to fans Saturday that she "almost didn't want to do the show" in order "to punish this (expletive) place for allowing that to happen here." However, she said she didn't do that because Texans are the real victims of the law. "You guys deserve everything in the world," Eilish said. "And we need to tell them to shut the f--- up!" Live in Austin? Click here to subscribe to our free breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and download our free mobile app on Android or iPhone. Eilish, best known for hits like "Bad Guy" and "Happier Than Ever," then raised her middle finger up in the air, while yelling, "My body, my (expletive) choice." Senate Bill 8, which was passed in May and went into effect Sept. 1, prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity — usually around six weeks, before some women know they're pregnant. Through the law, private citizens can sue health care providers who perform abortions after around six weeks gestation. The law currently does not provide any exceptions for cases of rape or incest. 'We need to tell them to shut the f*ck up' — @billieeilish called out Texas for its restrictive anti-abortion law while headlining the Austin City Limits music festival on Oct 2 pic.twitter.com/HoEnOZzLPk— NowThis (@nowthisnews) October 4, 2021 When it went into effect last month, it became the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S. Eilish wasn't the only artist who was vocal about the abortion law during the music festival over the weekend. Her brother Finneas, a popular singer-songwriter, cursed Gov. Greg Abbott during his set on Friday and pledged to donate his ACL check to Planned Parenthood, according to the Austin American-Statesman. In an Instagram post Friday night, singer Phoebe Bridgers also said she is donating her show proceeds to abortion funds in the state. A month after the bill has taken effect, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas said Wednesday it is seeing patients "trekking hundreds of miles across state lines seeking abortion care." Government agencies such as the city of Austin and the U.S. Department of Justice are fighting back, citing the law was enacted "in open defiance of the Constitution." On Sept. 15, the department asked a federal court in Texas to stop the enforcement of the state's new abortion law while it decides the case.