Britney Spears: A Disgusting Show Of Patriarchy Where Her Father Controlled Her Finances And Reproductive Rights

Britney Spears: A Disgusting Show Of Patriarchy Where Her Father Controlled Her Finances And Reproductive Rights

A mother of two, who was going through a divorce, severe mental health issues, had a total mental collapse when she was losing the custody of her children. What would you do with someone who was having a mental health crisis and indulging in substance abuse? One may suggest that the person be given mandatory counselling, treatment and be put under supervision. But it led to Britney Spears lose her freedom and have her human rights violated, all under the guise of legal conservatorship.

It’s been more than 13 years since she had no rights whatsoever to make her own decisions – be it about her relationships, reproductive health or the colour of her kitchen cabinets, as she recently revealed.

The world waited with bated breath to hear Britney Spears appeal directly to Judge Brenda Penny for the first time in all these years. And expectedly, it was a very emotional and heart wrenching one.

Forced contraception

“I just want my life back. It’s been 13 years and it’s enough,” Britney expressed. She added, “I’m not happy. I can’t sleep. I’m so angry. It’s insane.” She revealed that she cries every day and that this conservatorship is abusive.

Britney Spears revealed that she wanted to get the intrauterine device (IUD) removed which prevented her from having more children. However, she is banned from being able to do so, severely violating her reproductive rights, under the abusive conservatorship of her father Jamie Spears.

“We stand in solidarity with Britney and all women who face reproductive coercion. Your reproductive health is your own — and no one should make decisions about it for you. #FreeBritney,” Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson wrote in a tweet.

 

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Financial abuse

Currently, Britney is not only paying the lawyers representing her but also those representing the other side. She is basically paying the hefty fees for the opposition to try and take her down. Clearly, she is being taken advantage of, as she also spelled out in her plea to the judge.

When Britney had a public meltdown, her father requested the judge to grant him immediate temporary conservatorship. Eight months later, it was made permanent. While she returned to performing after that, years later, she revealed that her father was using excessive control against her. In fact, her attorney told the court that she was afraid of him. “If I don’t do this, what they tell me to do, enslave me to do, they’re gonna punish me,” she had said.

Earlier this year, Britney got a miniscule win in this case as the judge dismissed her father’s bid to be the sole manager and decision-maker of her finances. Currently, wealth manager Bessemer Trust has stepped in to co-manage her estate.

While her father claims he loves her daughter very much, his abusive ways also surfaced when he physically assaulted Britney’s son with ex, Kevin Federline. Apparently, he broke down a door and physically shook him and intimidated him. Yet, the authorities didn’t see it as sufficient child abuse. I mean, this is a man that must be feared if given authority. And he has complete power over his daughter, Britney Spears, ripping her off her agency.

In fact, Britney revealed she was allowed to change in privacy or even drive a car. It is believed that when she didn’t obey him, he had her sent to a mental health facility.

ALSO READ: Half Of Women Are Denied The Bodily Autonomy To Refuse Sex Or Use Contraception, Says UN Report

Enslaved by patriarchy

This is nothing but legal enslavement. A woman has a mental health breakdown several years ago and apparently, she loses her agency to her father, who must now do with her as he pleases. It has its roots in the patriarchal notion that women are slave to their emotions and must not have agency to make her own choices.

While conservatorships are for people with cognitive impairment diseases such as dementia, Britney is being held prisoner by a man who claims to have rights over her mind, body and life. It baffles me that the judge who is a woman herself is still allowing this to happen. It baffles me that Britney is a legal slave. If you don’t care about it now, will you care when in future conservatorship starts applying to just any woman, irrespective of whether they are medically capable of making decisions or not?

In the hearing, Britney pleaded, “I want changes, I deserve changes!”

ALSO READ: Himachal Pradesh Court Said Women Aren’t “Cattle” But Autonomous Beings With Rights

Akanksha Narang

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