The legacy of eugenics is still active in the U.S. Paternalistic attitudes and policies on the reproductive agency of disabled people is one way it manifests.
Britney Spears’ supporters erupted in cheers after her father was removed as conservator.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
Australia doesn’t have ‘conservatorships’ but rather guardianship and financial management laws for each state and territory.
In the cases of both sculptor Camille Claudel (1864-1943) and Britney Spears, we see situations where talented women were declared mentally unfit after family interventions.
(Wikimedia Commons/CP PICTURE ARCHIVE/Paul Chiasson)
Family members seeking to control women artists isn’t new. In the 1920s, doctors thought sculptor Camille Claudel could be released from the care of an asylum, but her family refused.
The stress and shame of conservatorships can sometimes do more harm than good to the people they’re supposed to protect.
Rich Fury/Staff via Getty Images Entertainment
Conservatorships significantly restrict people’s ability to make decisions for themselves. Other options can provide support while maintaining respect for autonomy.
Britney Spears has continued to perform around the world and record albums even while under a strict conservatorship.
AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying
Put Britney Spears into a YouTube search and the third auto-fill on the list is “Britney Spears without Autotune”. Auto-Tune has become the music industry equivalent of doping in the Tour de France circa…