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Billie Eilish tells Austin City Limits crowd she almost canceled over TX abortion law

Pop star Billie Eilish almost dropped out of the Austin City Limits Music Festival to protest Texas’ new restrictive abortion law, she told fans while on stage Saturday night.

“When they made that s--t a law, I almost didn’t want to do the show, because I wanted to punish this f---ing place for allowing that to happen here,” she said, video shows.

The Texas law effectively bans all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, which abortion advocates have criticized, saying most people don’t realize they are pregnant that early in the process.

The abortion ban has touched off protests across the country, with many women expressing worry that Texas may just be the first in a line of conservative states to enact similar laws.

Ultimately, Eilish told the crowd that she decided to and perform because “it’s you guys that are the ... victims,” video shows.

This is Eilish’s second time at the festival, first appearing at the massive event in 2019.

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This story was originally published October 3, 2021 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Billie Eilish tells Austin City Limits crowd she almost canceled over TX abortion law."

MW
Mitchell Willetts
The State
Mitchell Willetts is a real-time news reporter covering the central U.S. for McClatchy. He is a University of Oklahoma graduate and outdoors enthusiast living in Texas.
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