Free Britney!

 

After thirteen years under an abusive conservatorship, legendary pop-star Britney Spears has finally broken the silence by pressing charges against her former oppressor: her father.   

​

A conservatorship is a court case where an adult is appointed by a judge in order to have full responsibility to care for another adult that is incapable of managing themselves. Britney Spears’ conservatorship under her father, James P. Spears, first began after her infamously publicized 2008 meltdown, in which she shaved her head, attacked paparazzi, and allegedly used amphetamines. These stunts resulted in her temporary stay at a mental hospital, during which time James forced her into the conservatorship. 

​

The major issue behind this conservatorship is that it was only supposed to be in place until Britney had proven she was mentally stable and healthy enough to take care of herself and her children. Thirteen years later, she is still fighting for her independence.

​

Britney’s father is controlling his daughter—with the primary reason being his $16,000 monthly salary. Although Britney had made it very clear from the beginning she didn’t want her father in control, he still gained the power and is now in control of her credit cards, medical decisions, social media, business, and moreover, her personal life. After thirteen miserable years, Britney was finally given the chance to speak up about her conservatorship in June, 2021. Her testimony to the judge was over twenty minutes, in which she asserted: “I deserve to have a life. I've lied and told the whole world I'm okay and I'm happy [but] I'm not happy. I can't sleep. I'm so angry it's insane. And I'm depressed. I cry every day."

​

Worst of all,  the conservatorship is stopping Britney from creating a family. James P. Spears refuses to let his daughter marry her current boyfriend and have another child, a desire she heavily stressed in her testimony and through her social media. She loves her two sons and wishes to continue building her family, but without jurisdiction over her own health or body, the IUD imposed by her father remains effective. Regarding the lack of autonomy over her own body and family, Britney stated: "I deserve to have the same rights as anybody does, by having a child, a family, any of those things."

​

During her Las Vegas residency, Britney communicated her feelings about her conservatorship to her therapist, who then medicated her with lithium. Lithium is a drug used to stabilize moods in people diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but the problem was that there was little to no reason for Spears to take it. Despite this, her father forced her to accept the lithium after misinforming her about its substance and effect, resulting in what she describes as a “drunken and out-of-control feeling”.

​

Britney has stated multiple times that she will not further her pop star career or even go on tour until she is completely free from her father’s control. With this in mind, a month after speaking out in June, she has gained the ability to hire her own lawyer to fight for her rights. Mathew Rosengar will be Britney’s new attorney to represent her in court on behalf of the conservatorship. With Rosengar, she intends to further her progress towards freeing herself from her father. Hopefully, Britney will win the freedom she deserves to pursue a happy, independent life with her family in the future.

​

​