By Emina Cerimovic/Human Rights Watch
“I have an IUD in my body right now that won’t let me have a baby and my conservators won’t let me go to the doctor to take it out,” pop star Britney Spears told a court last spring.
Fans, influencers, activists and members of the public rallied in support of Spears, loudly condemning the pop star’s treatment under the 13-year abusive guardianship, which granted her father legal authority to make decisions about her career, finances, and even her own body.
Spears is not alone. While the exact figures are not known, it is estimated millions of people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities are deprived of legal capacity and placed under some form of guardianship. Just like Spears, this had led to a range of abuses, including forced medical treatment, forced contraception and coerced termination of pregnancies, involuntary confinement, forced living arrangements, and limited freedom of movement.
Posted on November 20, 2021