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Demi Lovato stands on the frontlines in the battle for reproductive rights in the music video for the singer’s latest protest single “Swine.” To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, leaving millions with little to nothing left to shield and protect their bodily autonomy, the singer armors up to fight back, declaring: “Give these motherfuckers hell.”
“Swine” puts Lovato’s pivot to pop punk to good use, communicating rage and frustration over roaring guitars and weighted percussion. “God forbid, I wanna suck whatever the fuck I wanna/God forbid, I wanna fuck whoever the fuck I want/And if he cums, I guess I gotta be a mother,” they spit on the opening verse. “Fuck what I think, I don’t know a thing/The government knows my body/No, it’s okay, it’s better this way, I’m only a carbon copy/Even if I’m dying, they’ll still try to stop me.”
In the Meriel O’Connell-directed video, Lovato leads a revolution against a decision-making group of men preparing to make a ruling on what the two dozen people sitting in front of them can and cannot do with their own bodies. The singer tears their legislation in half, sets fire to an alleyway, and recreates the image of the last supper — a nod to the verses in which they point out the hypocrisy of wanting to protect Christian values over the livelihood of not only the people being stripped of their rights, but the children they’re consequently being forced to have. “It’s your book, but it’s my survival,” they sing.
“It’s been one year since the Supreme Court’s decision to dismantle the constitutional right to a safe abortion, and although the path forward will be challenging, we must continue to be united in our fight for reproductive justice,” Lovato shared in a statement. “I created ‘SWINE’ to amplify the voices of those who advocate for choice and bodily autonomy. I want this song to empower not only the birthing people of this country, but everyone who stands up for equality, to embrace their agency and fight for a world where every person’s right to make decisions about their own body is honored.”
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision last year, musicians and celebrities used their platforms both online and in-person to protest the ruling. Phoebe Bridgers shared her story about receiving an abortion. Megan Thee Stallion stood against it during a festival appearance, declaring: “My body, my motherfucking choice.” Kendrick Lamar positioned himself as an ally, leading an audience in chanting: “Godspeed for women’s rights.”
“Swine,” in its tone and visuals, is almost immediately reminiscent of “Nightmare,” the 2019 single from Halsey that pushes back against the all too familiar experience of young women having their bodies and demeanor policed by outside parties. “”Come on, little lady, give us a smile”/No, I ain’t got nothin’ to smile about/I got no one to smile for, I waited a while for/A moment to say I don’t owe you a goddamn thing,” they declare.
Similarly to Bridgers, Halsey penned an essay recounting her difficult journey with reproductive health, which included suffering three miscarriages before they were even 24. “One of my miscarriages required ‘aftercare,’ a gentle way of saying that I would need an abortion, because my body could not terminate the pregnancy completely on its own and I would risk going into sepsis without medical intervention,” they wrote. Access to those kinds of medical interventions are being targeted in states across the U.S. — and receiving that treatment is the only way Halsey was able to eventually give birth to their first child, Ender.
“Many people have asked me if, since carrying a child to term after years of struggling to do so, I have reconsidered my stance on abortion. The answer is firmly no,” Halsey concluded the essay. “In fact, I have never felt more strongly about it. My abortion saved my life and gave way for my son to have his. Every person deserves the right to choose when, if, and how they have this dangerous and life-altering experience. I will hold my son in one arm, and fight with all my might with the other.”
From here, the fight continues.
