By Sarah Holliday

Many of us are grieving the current climate surrounding what it means to be a woman. The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh released a documentary in June 2022 which revealed the sad reality that a question as simple as, “What is a woman?” is becoming difficult for many people to answer. Children are being born and raised into a society that believes the definition of a woman is subjective.

Transgenderism is a hot topic right now as men are parading around in skirts and claiming to be women. The reality is these men will never be women, no matter what surgeries or hormones they undergo. It’s a mockery and a degradation of womanhood that the Left pushes in egregious delight. And they do this with the topic of abortion, as well.

Pregnancy is something unique to women. It’s a gift from God. But the cult of death takes a beautiful God-given gift, a baby, and slaps on the titles of “unwanted,” “burdensome,” and “inconvenient.” But regardless of the picture the Left tries to paint, abortion kills.

According to Live Action, a pro-life organization, 63,459,781 babies have been killed by abortion since 1973. Pro-abortion activists say the ability to murder a child in a mother’s womb is a “right.” The phrase, “reproductive freedom” truly refers to no freedom at all but a path of devastation. But alas, countless men and women are roped into the net of lies that proclaim abortion is “health care.”

And sadly, we live in a culture where many women with prominent platforms are not strong female role models when it comes to the beauty of what it actually means to be a woman. And while being able to get pregnant doesn’t define a woman (since some women cannot), it’s still such a beautiful part of womanhood. It’s unfortunate, to say the least, how many are blind to this reality, and even more so that those who are blind confidently lead others astray alongside them.

Olivia Rodrigo, for instance, is a singer and former Disney actress. She’s a beautiful young lady, and her music has taken the world of mainstream pop by storm. She may not be the genre I listen to, but it’s hard to deny that she has impressive vocal abilities. And although she has fans from various ages and backgrounds, it stands to reason that her followers largely consist of women and girls.

And with the major platform the young singer has, I’m sure she has a lot of young ladies looking up to her as their role model. But Rodrigo, as famous as she has become, is simply not someone I would ever want any woman or girl to imitate.

Rodrigo is currently on tour and has decided to use her stops to campaign for abortion. At her recent Missouri concert, she went full-out in the push as she announced that a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales would go to the Fund 4 Good initiative, which exists to “support all women, girls and people seeking reproductive health freedom.” Additionally, during the March 12 show, the singer handed out free contraceptives such as condoms and boxes of Julie, which is similar to Plan B. (The idea caused such an uproar that tour organizers announcedshe was no longer allowed to hand out emergency contraception at performances.) Rodrigo also partnered with the National Network of Abortion Funds and put QR codes all through the venue that linked to how people could get access to abortion.

All of this follows a 2022 performance after the Roe v. Wade decision was made, where she screamed, “We hate you!” at the Supreme Court justices — along with other profanities. But to top it off, some of Rodrigo’s personal statements include, “I’m devastated and terrified, so many women and so many girls are going to die because of this,” and, “I just think forcing women to give birth is really horrifying.”

You know what’s devastating and terrifying, Olivia? The fact that so many women are going to live with lifelong regret and pain over using needles and chemicals to terminate a human being in their body. It’s devastating and terrifying that so many babies are going to die due to the abortion you’re glorifying. Is that what you want to encourage men, women, and children to pursue? A life of destruction and death? Seems rather selfish to me to live a life of luxury and fame while actively preaching that countless children should never even get the chance to feel the sun on their skin.

It’s really horrifying to me that people like Rodrigo think women are “forced” to give birth, when the statistics prove otherwise. The facts are so blatant that even pro-abortion groups such as The Guttmacher Institute report that 1% to less than 1% of abortions are a result of rape or incest. It’s obviously tragic no matter what drives a woman to feel they have to kill their children, but the majority of cases reveal most women were not forced to engage in sex, an activity that knowingly leads to pregnancy. The majority of women who seek abortion had a choice. The babies murdered don’t.

I have no doubt there are countless girls starstruck by Rodrigo’s popularity and spunk, thinking, “I want to be like her someday!” And it’s that thought, among others, that makes me heartbroken over the fact that Rodrigo has chosen to use her platform to promote a culture of death and the destruction of a beautiful aspect of womanhood.

Heartbeat International is a pro-life organization that exists to help give women the opportunity to choose life. In a statement to The Washington Stand, Andrea Trudden, vice president of Communications and Marketing for HI, accurately conveyed the attitude all those who stand for life should have toward those who promote such a dangerous agenda:

“We are astonished by Olivia Rodrigo’s reckless decision to use her influential platform to promote such a dangerous lifestyle. Distributing Plan B pills to advocate for abortion at her concert tour not only disregards the well-being of her young audience but also demonstrates a shocking lack of responsibility and consideration for the potential consequences of her actions. This kind of promotion sends a harmful message to impressionable young people.

"We adamantly oppose the normalization of such dangerous behaviors and urge celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo to use their platforms more responsibly. Instead of promoting shortcuts and risky choices, influencers should prioritize empowering young people with education and support that promotes healthy relationships, self-respect, and sexual risk avoidance. It’s time for celebrities to recognize the immense influence they wield and take responsibility for the messages they convey to their impressionable audiences.

"At Heartbeat International, we stand firm in our commitment to advocating for the well-being and dignity of every individual, and we call on influencers to do the same.”

Sarah Holliday is a reporter at The Washington Stand.