On Monday, the Austin City Limits (ACL) music festival announced that they donated to an abortion fund as an apology to a singer whose sound got cut short during her set last weekend.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, a singer named Phoebe Bridgers was playing a show at the festival on Saturday evening when her band’s sound was unexpectedly cut off before the end of their final number. It’s not noted why, though some reports speculate they may have gone over their allotted set time. Afterwards, Bridgers tweeted an expletive directed at the festival. It has since been removed.
Monday afternoon, Austin City Limits shared a statement with the Austin American-Statesman to apologize for the incident and inform the public that they’re making up for it by donating to a pro-abortion organization.
"Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication on stage by ACL Festival personnel, the sound on the final song of (the) Phoebe Bridgers set was cut off during her ACL Fest weekend two performance. We wish this had not happened and extend our apologies to Phoebe. After positive conversations between festival organizers and the artist about the situation, ACL Fest has made a donation to Texas Abortion Funds to show our support for Phoebe and an organization close to her heart."
Last month, a new law, S.B. 8, took effect in Texas, banning abortions statewide after fetal heartbeat detection. Abortion providers and advocacy groups filed a last-minute request with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), asking it to block the law from taking effect. To their dismay, the Court voted 5-4 to uphold S.B. 8. Currently, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing the state over the law.
Predictably, Bridgers is an outspoken pro-abortion advocate. This month, she released a song where the profits go directly to Texas Abortion Funds, which splits the money between ten different pro-abortion organizations, including Jane’s Due Process, which “helps young people in Texas navigate parental consent laws and confidentially access abortion and birth control,” and The Lilith Fund, which “helps people pay for an abortion when they can’t afford it.” In an Instagram post promoting the song, she wrote “[t]his one’s for [Texas Governor] Greg Abbott,” who signed S.B. 8 into law in May.
On the other hand, last month, country singer Racheal Lynn Woodward, known as RaeLynn, released a song titled “She Chose Me,” detailing how her mother contemplated having an abortion but ultimately chose life.
"I started asking questions, and I found out some truths that I didn't necessarily know and it was hard for me to know that my mom almost didn't choose me," Woodward said in an interview with Sounds Like Nashville. “I am so grateful that she decided to keep me and make that decision.”