I recently caught Cameron Crowe’s documentary on Pearl Jam. It’s an excellent film, but one of the things that really jumped out at me was just how pro-choice the band was (and probably still is, but I’m just going by the archival footage here). Eddie Vedder playing “MTV Unplugged” with the word “pro-choice” inked down his arm in thick black letters? Pretty frickin’ awesome. Vedder wearing a Rock for Choice t-shirt in a promo picture for one of the band’s appearances on “Saturday Night Live”? Just as awesome – and hey, whatever happened to Rock for Choice?
Organized by the band L7 and music journalist Sue Cummings,, the first Rock for Choice concert featured Nirvana, Hole, L7, and other bands that supported the pro-choice movement. During the ten-year period between 1991 and 2001, dozens of Rock for Choice shows around the country raised awareness about reproductive rights issues, including abortion access and violence against abortion providers, and other political issues like voter registration. The concerts also helped fund the work of the Feminist Majority Foundation, specifically the organization’s Campaign to Save Roe.
