Lucy Dacus to donate earnings from upcoming Texas gigs to abortion funds, in protest against new law

In a statement shared on her Twitter, Lucy Dacus has announced that all proceeds from her upcoming gigs in Texas will be donated to abortion funds – in protest against the state's hugely controversial new law, restricting access to abortions.

The law, which is one of the most restrictive in the US, bans abortions after six weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest. It also allows private citizens, who may have no connection to the people involved, to sue doctors who perform abortions after the six-week mark, or anyone else who helps a woman obtain an abortion – whether that's by driving them to the clinic, or offering financial assistance. It went into effect on this week, after the US Supreme Court refused to block the law.

"All the money I make at our upcoming shows in Texas will be going towards abortion funds jsyk, if you're not cool with that don't come," Lucy Dacus wrote. "If you are cool with that (and are vaccinated) Austin and Dallas are sold out, but Houston and San Antonio are not, come thru and bring extra $ cause I'm gonna figure out a donation situation."

if you are cool with that (and are vaccinated) Austin and Dallas are sold out, but Houston and San Antonio are not, come thru and bring extra $ cause I'm gonna figure out a donation situation https://t.co/vmoZ7iaHTk

— Lucy Dacus (@lucydacus) September 2, 2021

Dacus is set to play four Texas shows this month – with gigs in Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, as part of her North American tour in support of her new album, Home Video.

In 2022, she'll play a string of dates in the UK and Europe, including a headline show at The Button Factory, Dublin on March 21.

US President Joe Biden also responded to the new law yesterday, describing the Supreme Court's ruling as "an unprecedented assault on a woman's constitutional rights under Roe v. Wade, which has been the law of the land for almost fifty years."

In his statement, Biden goes on to declare that he will be directing the Gender Policy Council and the Office of the White House Counsel "to launch a whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision... to see what steps the Federal Government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe, and what legal tools we have to insulate women and providers from the impact of Texas' bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties."