Women’s reproductive rights continue to be a hot-button issue all around the world. For example, on June 24, 2022, in the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. There is also opposition to women’s health organizations like Planned Parenthood, which provides women with reproductive health services that, in many cases, help prevent unwanted pregnancy and reduce the need for abortions.
Many songs have also been written about the topic of abortion, both from a pro-life and pro-choice perspective (and in some cases from a neutral observational perspective). There are also tunes addressing the issue of birth control, which, especially in the 1970s, was a hot-button topic for religious conservatives. Right now, we will look specifically at 25 songs in support of a woman’s right to choose.
Abortion Song – The New Haven Women’s Liberation Rock Band
The New Haven Women’s Liberation Rock Band and their Chicago counterpart were formed to challenge the misogyny propagated by a male-dominated rock industry. This pro-choice anthem was recorded prior to Roe v. Wade and appeared on their 1972 split album with The Chicago Women’s Liberation Rock Band, Mountain Moving Day. Lyrics such as “We’ve got to get together and fight. They tell us to get married and have three or four kids. Change the diapers, be a good wife. But we will decide how many children to bear. We’ve got to control our own life” have regained renewed resonance with current developments.
Rosie Jane – Malvina Reynolds
“Rosie Jane” is off of Reynolds’ 1975 album Held Over. Best known for her anti-conformity anthem “Little Boxes”, Reynolds composed this tune in support of Roe v. Wade, which was established in 1973. The song’s lyrics addressed the hypocrisy of pro-lifers who, once a child is born, no longer care: “When that baby is a child, It will suffer from neglect, Be picked upon and pecked, And run over and wrecked.” It also concludes with the potent line “And it cannot be murdered till it’s born.”
The Pill – Loretta Lynn
Lynn first recorded the tune in 1972, but because of religious and conservative opposition to the birth control pill, her record company blocked the song’s release. When it was finally released in 1975, many country radio stations banned it. Even though it didn’t fare as well on the Billboard country charts as her previous singles, it ended up being her biggest hit on the US Billboard pop charts.
Nine Month Blues – Peggy Seeger
The veteran singer-songwriter is no stranger to penning socially conscious tunes. On a couple of occasions, she has been specifically requested to compose a pro-choice tune on behalf of NARAL. One example of this is this song, which appears on her 1979 album Different Therefore Equal. The lyrics address the challenges of an unplanned pregnancy and oppressive attitudes that infringe on a woman’s right to choose.
Baby’s Gone – Heavens To Betsy
Heavens To Betsy was an influential riot grrrl duo that was the first band of Corin Tucker, who went on to greater fame as a founding member of Sleater-Kinney. “Baby’s Gone” appeared on their 1992 self-titled demo cassette, and it is sung from the perspective of a teenager writing to her parents after she died from the complications of attempting a self-abortion. The song draws awareness to potentially fatal consequences when safe, legal abortions are not accessible.
Aaah D Yaaa – The Goats
This song is off the 1992 debut album, Tricks of the Shade, an overlooked gem by the alternative hip-hop trio The Goats. The album is a concept album involving two characters, Chicken Little and Hangerhead, who make their way through Uncle Scam’s Federally Funded Welfare & Freakshow to search for their mom, who was jailed for attempting an illegal abortion. This tune in particular, tackles pro-life hypocrisy,
Keep Ya Head Up – 2Pac
At times, rap music has faced accusations of blatant misogyny (a charge that was also levied against 2Pac). This particular song off 2Pac’s 1993 album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z… is a powerful tune that fights against those attitudes. It also contains a succinct lyric on the subject of women’s reproductive rights, “And since a man can’t make one. He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one.”
Sally’s Pigeons – Cyndi Lauper
“Sally’s Pigeons” appears on Lauper’s 1993 album Hat Full of Stars. The moving song was written about a friend of Lauper who, as a teenager, got pregnant and ended up dying from a back-alley abortion. Even though more a song of mourning than a direct protest, it does draw awareness that making abortions illegal or limiting access to them doesn’t stop abortions, it only makes abortions more deadly. In response to the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Lauper re-recorded the tune.)
Don’t Pray on Me – Bad Religion
This tune off the veteran punk band’s 1993 album Recipe for Hate is a scathing indictment of the oppression that has taken place as a result of religion’s involvement with politics. The song also takes a stand for women’s reproductive rights with the potent verse: “A bitter debate and a feminine fate/Lie in tandem like two precious babes/ While the former gets warmer, it’s the latter/ That matters except on the nation’s airwaves / And custodians of public opinion stayed back/ After vainly discussing her rights/ Lay hands off her body/ It’s not your fucking life!”
La Femme Fétal – Digable Planets
This tune off of the alternative hip hop trio’s classic 1993 album Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) is an insightful commentary in support of women’s reproductive rights. It attacks male politicians who “don’t really give a damn about life, they just don’t want a woman to control her body, or have the right to choose.” It also attacks the hypocrisy of pro-lifers with the reminder that “life doesn’t stop after birth” and that “The situation would surely change if they were to find themselves in it.” The tune also discusses the potentially fatal risks of illegal abortions, and it describes those who oppose women’s reproductive rights as “Orwellian” and “fascists.”
Butyric Acid – Consolidated
This banging tune is from the 1994 album by Business of Punishment by the political hip-hop-influenced industrial group. The lyrics are a scathing critique of the hypocrisy of the Christian right and pro-lifers. It also features the pointed lyric “If you don’t want an abortion don’t get one.”
Fallopian Rhapsody – Lunachicks
This tune off of the all-female punk group’s 1995 album Jerk of All Trades provides compelling reasons in support of safe and legal access to abortions. It also indicts so-called pro-lifers who basically stop caring about the life once it is born and exposes the hypocrisy of religious fanatics who are willing to kill abortion doctors while praying.
White Crosses – Against Me!
“White Crosses” is the title track off of Against Me! 2010 album. Front woman Laura Jane Grace wrote the song in response to a church around the corner from where she lived that had four thousand white crosses on its lawn, representing the number of abortions that happen in America each day. Grace expresses a desire to “smash them all.” The song could also be considered an indictment of religion, which oppressively tries to dictate the choices that women make over their bodies.
Pussy Kills – Rocky Rivera
This potent tune by journalist and rapper Rocky Rivera appears on her 2015 album Nom de Guerre. Lyrics such as “Politicians pass law with my pussy on they mind. They can never handle what it takes to give birth. Say my pussy’s weak, try to claim it as they turf” take on renewed relevance. It also takes aim at religion for the influence they yield on oppressive laws: “If religion is the reason, you should pray between my thighs.”
Roe V. World – War On Women
The feminist hardcore band War On Women frequently addresses the issue of women’s right to choose. For example, “Roe V. World” and “Pro-Life” off their 2015 self-titled debut album and “Childbirth” off their 2018 album Capture The Flag all poignantly address the subject. “Roe V. World” not only supports Roe v. Wade, but the tune also addresses practical steps that can be taken to reduce unwanted pregnancy, which would in turn reduce the need for abortions (such as making contraception readily available and teaching men what consent means). The song also rages against the patriarchy that tries to “keep women pregnant their entire fucking lives.”
Bye Bye Baby – Noname
This poignant tune is off the rapper and activist’s 2016 debut mixtape Telefone. She has made the following statement concerning the motivation behind the song:
“What I tried to do is make a love song for them. I feel like whenever I hear people talking about abortion, they typically take the love out of it, as if it can never be a loving act — as if it’s only done out of hate or desperation. I know women who have gone through that experience. And there hasn’t been like, a song for them, or a moment of catharsis and healing for them in music. That shit was just important to me as a woman, as someone who cares about these women.”
Play God – Ani DiFranco
There is no way you could make a list of pro-choice songs without including one from DiFranco. The veteran singer-songwriter and activist often addresses the topic in her songs. For example, “Lost Woman Song” off of her 1990 self-titled debut is a gripping autobiographical account of an abortion she had when she was 18 years old. “Hello, Birmingham,” off of her 1999 album To The Teeth, deals with the murder of an abortion doctor in DiFranco’s hometown of Buffalo and a bombing of an abortion clinic in Birmingham. A recent example of DiFranco’s musical campaigning is “Play God”, a 2016 single which also appears on her 2017 album Binary. The song attacks the government and religious systems, which are propped up by the patriarchy. When it comes to her body and her reproductive choices, DiFranco makes it clear to all the men out there that “You don’t get to play God, man, I do.”
End of My Bloodline (Remix) – Screaming Females with Moor Mother and Sammus
This reworking of a tune that originally appeared on the indie rock trio’s 2018 album All At Once features potent verses from underground female rappers Moor Mother and Sammus. Powerful lyrics include “I pay the rent here, so listen, no gentrifying my body. It’s mine.” The song makes it clear that women should have clear control over their bloodline and that no man should ever tell a woman what to do with her body. A powerful declaration of the right to self-determination.
Our Problem (featuring Angie Stone, Cyndi Lauper, K. Flay, Lilly Hiatt, Linda Perry, Morgane Stapleton, Nona Hendryx, Peaches, Valerie June) – Amanda Shires
Originally released in 2020 as a duet with her then-husband Jason Isbell under the title “The Problem”. This revamped version of the pro-choice tune features a stunning array of notable women artists. It was appropriately released on January 22, 2021, to commemorate the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
Shires composed the song a couple of years prior to recording and releasing it. She mentioned the motivation of why: “Some of the reason [“The Problem”] is only coming out now is fear on my part, and I’ll admit that. It’s an often-times divisive topic, and I don’t want to bring any hurt to my family by doing something like putting out a song about this topic, but I lost all that fear when I got angry. Then I’m like, ‘This is coming out now.’”
There are even more reasons to be angry now.
I Am Jane Roe (featuring Aima The Dreamer and Ryan Nicole) – Coco Peila
This alternative hip-hop tune was appropriately released the same day that Roe v. Wade was overruled. The lyrics take aim at both political and religious hypocrites. This anthemic banger is a galvanizing example of musical activism.
Baby, I Had an Abortion – Petrol Girls
This tune appeared on the UK feminist punk band’s latest album, Baby, which was also released on the same day that Roe v. Wade was overruled. Fittingly, the band’s name is derived from Les Pétroleuses, a Paris-based 1800s revolutionary group of working-class women.
We Won’t Go Back – MILCK, BIIANCO, Autumn Rowe (featuring Ani DiFranco)
Singer-songwriter first gained notice on January 21st, 2017, when a flash mob performance of her song “Quiet” at the Women’s March on Washington went viral. Concerning this tune, it was inspired by MILCK attending a pro-choice rally on the steps of the DC Supreme Court, just before the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The song includes samples taken from the rally. It also contains contributions from producer/co-writer BIIANCO, Autumn Rowe, and the previously mentioned DiFranco.
The Devil Is Human – Aurora
This 2022 tune by the Norwegian art-pop artist addresses the sexualization and vilification of women. She made the following statement concerning the song in a press release:
“We get sexualised by the world, and yet shamed for being sexual. They want to possess you and own you, and even decide what you get to do with your own body. We are not free until all of us are free. The world have tried for many years to burn women who were strong, who were brilliant, brave and free-spirited. The devil is human, or apparently, the devil is a woman. You can burn the skin we live in, but you cannot burn the witch away. #ourbodyourchoice.”
Irrelevant – Pink
This 2022 tune by the popstar is her pointed response to her detractors who tried to get her to “shut up and sing”. The refrain of “Girls just wanna have rights, so why do we have to fight?” resonates in light of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The powerful video also features visuals of protests throughout history.
The Beat Goes On (Freedom of Choice) – Jez Marie
This 2024 tune by the emerging pop singer-songwriter was written to encourage voting. The lyrics address women’s reproductive rights and the importance of standing up for them. The accompanying video pays tribute to the influential women who have positively contributed to our society.
Below is a Spotify list featuring songs from this list, and a few extra women’s reproductive rights tunes.
