Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, and More Vow Young People 'Will Not Back Down' on Abortion Rights

Ahead of nationwide pro-choice rallies planned for the weekend, Grammy-winning pop stars Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande were among more than 160 artists, actors, and other famous figures who declared in a full-page New York Times advertisement on Friday that young people intend to fight for abortion rights.

"Our power to plan our own futures and control our own bodies depends on our ability to access sexual and reproductive healthcare, including abortion."

"The Supreme Court is planning to overturn Roe v. Wade, taking away the constitutional right to abortion," the ad states, referencing a draft opinion leaked last week. "Our power to plan our own futures and control our own bodies depends on our ability to access sexual and reproductive healthcare, including abortion."

"We are artists. Creators. Storytellers. We are the new generation stepping into our power. Now we are being robbed of our power," the ad continues. "We will not go back—and we will not back down."

The ad also promotes the website for "Bans Off Our Bodies" rallies that Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), UltraViolet, Women's March, and other reproductive freedom advocates are organizing for Saturday, May 14.

"Should the Supreme Court take away the constitutional right to safe, legal abortion, young people stand to lose the most," said PPFA president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson. "So many of us—who grew up with the understanding that Roe was settled law—could have never imagined that our own children would have fewer rights and less freedom over their own bodies and futures."

"What we see in young people from all walks of life is that they aren't backing down—not today, not ever," she added. "Like the artists who signed on to this ad, their resolve to keep bans off their bodies is a source of hope during a dark time, and we are determined to keep fighting alongside them, for them."

Others who signed on to the ad include musical artists Miley and Noah Cyrus, Camila Cabello, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and Megan Thee Stallion; models Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, and Karlie Kloss; and the female stars of the show Riverdale—Camila Mendes, Madelaine Petsch, and Lili Reinhart.

Some of them have previously spoken out in support of reproductive rights—from Halsey's viral speech at the 2018 Women's March in New York City to Eilish blasting Texas' six-week abortion ban that turns anti-choice vigilantes into bounty hunters at the Austin City Limits Festival last year.

After Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's draft opinion signaling the imminent end of Roe was revealed last week, singer Phoebe Bridgers tweeted: "I had an abortion in October of last year while I was on tour. I went to Planned Parenthood, where they gave me the abortion pill. It was easy. Everyone deserves that kind of access."

During her concert last week in Washington, D.C., Olivia Rodrigo said that "I couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk about how heartbroken I am over the Supreme Court's potential decision."

Decisions about women's bodies "should never be in the hands of politicians," the 19-year-old added. "I hope we can raise our voices to protect our right to have a safe abortion, which is a right that so many people before us have worked so hard to get."