The ability to decide whether to marry or use birth control are absolute human rights. Wow, this case is insane. #FreeBritney

Indeed. She might have had a breakdown or two, but if everybody who ever had a breakdown was forced into a life-long conservatorship...you get it. I agree, let her have her life back.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/arts/music/britney-spears-conservatorship-hearing.amp.html

Conservatorships are really supposed to be for people with severe disabilities or dementia. They’re not for 30-40 year old entertainers who are actively recording music and touring, which takes a huge amount of mental fitness and coordination.

The restrictions on ability to marry and have children in particular really take the cake and underscore what a sexist, paternalistic thing these “conservatorships” can be.

Literally attacking her ovaries, literally controlled by her father. It gets no more sexist and paternalistic than that.

Even prison inmates have the right to marry and get pregnant, to my knowledge.

My goodness, the more I learn about it the worse it gets.

I don't have a full idea on what a "conservatorship" is, but from what I can tell it means she's losing her rights, and that sucks, so like is there a petition or something? anything people can do to help?

Basically, a conservatorship is a legal arrangement that allows for someone else to manage your life decisions. It’s really only supposed to be for people who are disabled or almost totally mentally incapacitated. It’s really not supposed to be for a functioning adult like Britney.

There are probably petitions you could sign. I haven’t gone looking for them. Raising awareness of it on social media to my rather small following is what I’m doing.

From what I’ve read, what seems to have happened here is Britney was simply never informed of the fact she had a right to challenge the conservatorship. She was ashamed of the whole thing and didn’t want to think or talk about it. Now, she has appeared in court and gave testimony that she strongly objects to it — I would think that’s enough to cause the conservatorship to unravel, but we’ll see.

Mind-blowing that could happen to a woman worth millions of dollars and presumably able to afford very expensive lawyers, but that’s the curious power of our complex and forbidding legal system, mixed with hefty doses of misogyny, paternalism, greed, and gaslighting.

I disagree that the "right" to have a child is absolute.

I actually wasn’t aware that courts in the U.S. in the 21st century could still mandate contraception in *any* case, let alone one like this.

There’s so much awful eugenic history behind the idea of forced contraception — in this country and around the world — that it’s best to abandon it entirely. If the mechanism for forcing contraception exists at all, then it will inevitably be abused. Like in this case.

Reproductive rights mean reproductive rights, period — that means the right to an abortion *and* the right to bear children.

True. Forced sterilization was a big issue at the Nuremberg war crimes trials.

It's a complex issue. My not-black-and-white view is influenced by overpopulation and the knowledge of how children suffer under unfit parents.

The fact is, I don't believe any right is absolute, and I believe any system or policy is open to abuse.