The #FreeBritney has been all over the news recently. This movement is all about the conservatorship of the 2000s “Princess of Pop”, Britney Spears.
A conservatorship is a legal appointment of a guardian to have control over financial/personal decisions of another person. This arrangement is put into place when the person being controlled is deemed not well enough to do so themselves, usually due to physical and/or mental limitations.
Spears was put under conservatorship due to her mental state. Around 2008, she had many mental breakdowns and public meltdowns. She was admitted to rehab and a psychiatric hospital several times. Meltdowns included shaving her head, driving with her son on her lap, and several other highly publicized incidents. In late 2008, her father called for an emergency conservatorship to be imposed and gave himself total control over Britney’s financial and personal decisions.
This arrangement grew to be an extremely abusive one. Spears would later describe it as just that in court while calling for the conservatorship to be removed. The fact that she cannot make any decisions regarding her own money is outrageous. Any business deals of hers must be approved by her father. Furthermore, this conservatorship has affected her physical health as well. Throughout the years, Spears was forced to take lithium and also had an IUD put in her body against her will. She is not allowed to remove it, despite wanting a third child.
Britney Spears has been suffering for years. We need to end this unjust legal arrangement and help her be free. Once free, she can use her voice to help stop conservatorships. Situations like the pop star’s are more common than presumed, with 1.3 million adults under conservatorship. Please keep fighting for Britney so that she may be able to finally have control over her life.
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