The mammoth 7” series includes musicians, authors, visual artists and comedians
A compilation series has been announced in support of Planned Parenthood, featuring musicians from Björk to St Vincent, Chvrches, Sleater-Kinney, Sharon Von Etten, Mitski and more.
The songs will be rolled out for digital release in the next few weeks, and then brought together in a vinyl box set, ‘7-inches for Planned Parenthood’. According to Pitchfork, as well as musicians, the compilation will also feature the work of comedians, authors and visual artists: The Handmaid’s Tale writer Margaret Atwood, Zach Galifianakis and Margaret Cho are also involved.
A statement from the 7-inches Collective said of the venture: “Lawmakers with extreme views are working hard to shut down Planned Parenthood. If they succeed, millions of Americans will lose access to basic health services, including STD testing and treatment, birth control, and life-saving cancer screenings.”
“‘7-inches for Planned Parenthood’ is a response to this threat,” they added. “This curated series of 7-inch vinyl records is being made by a group of people who believe that access to health care is a public good that should be fiercely protected. Do we know there’s a joke in the name? We do. We hope the title evokes the rich history of 7-inch vinyl records as a medium for protest music and resistance.”
“Planned Parenthood will receive 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of this 7-inch box set and streaming listens. We see this initiative as the start of something bigger, and hope it will inspire both contributors and listeners to continue to seek out ways to stand with Planned Parenthood and other institutions that are so vital to us all.”
Reports recently revealed that Chvrches and Kristen Stewart were working on a new, “musically oriented” project to aid the reproductive and sexual healthcare provider.
“We’re incredibly grateful to have the support of so many artists and entertainers, many of them who have themselves relied on us for health care. Planned Parenthood has been around for 100 years, and one in five women in America have turned to us for care. Planned Parenthood has stood defiantly in the face of opposition for a century, and we’re not backing down now,” said PP president Cecile Richards of the initiative.
Planned Parenthood, providing millions of women across the States with contraception, cancer screenings and safe abortion services, has been under serious attack from the political sphere since Trump's presidency began. Trump made threats, saying that annual federal funding of up to $500 million would be stripped unless Planned Parenthood halted abortions. The organisation refused the deal. “Providing critical health care services for millions of American women is nonnegotiable,” said Dawn Laguens, PP's executive vice president. Maryland recently became the first state to enact a law that will reimburse Planned Parenthood for its services, if any federal cuts should take place.
Watch a video featuring St Vincent, John Legend and Zach Galifianakis, covering Minnie Riperton’s “Lovin’ You” for the compilation below.
Find out more about ‘7-inches for Planned Parenthood’ here.
