Britney Spears Addresses Conservatorship: 'I deserve to have a life'
Pop singer Britney Spears spoke about her conservatorship for the first time in a Los Angeles court hearing on Wednesday. Photo by Rhys Adams on Flickr.
After 13 years of relative silence, Britney Spears candidly pleaded to end her court-ordered conservatorship in a 20-minute statement on Wednesday, June 23.
The singer met virtually with Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny to speak on the conditions of her conservatorship, saying, “I deserve to have a life.”
Spears asked to be released from her conservatorship immediately without the need for evaluation. According to the Associated Press, Spears stated the conservatorship was doing her more harm than good.
The 39-year-old singer was placed under the supervision of her father Jamie Spears in 2008 following a public breakdown in 2007. The conservatorship appointed Britney's father as her caregiver and manager of her finances. As of 2019, however, he only manages her finances.
During her statement, the pop princess revealed that many limitations were placed on her, including the insertion of birth control to prohibit her from having more children.
"I was told right now in the conservatorship, I'm not able to get married or have a baby," Spears said. "I have an IUD inside of myself right now so I don't get pregnant. I wanted to take the IUD out so I could start trying to have another baby, but this so-called team won't let me go to the doctor to take it out because they don't want me to have children, any more children."
The singer’s plea comes four months after the film release of “Framing Britney Spears,” a New York Times documentary that follows her career and her court battles.
Spears pleaded with the judge, saying, "The last time I spoke to you...made me feel like I was dead, like I didn't matter, like nothing had been done to me, like you thought I was lying. I want to be heard. I'm telling you this again so that maybe you understand the depth and degree and the damage...I want and deserve changes going forward."
The next court hearing will be held on July 14. Listen to the full audio recording of Britney Spears’ opening testimony at her June 23 court hearing below: