Britney Spears’ conservatorship saga took a turn last week with a judge declaring the pop superstar fit to hire her own attorney, who is now fighting “aggressively” to remove Jamie Spears from the legal arrangement. Sue O’Connell, in for Jim Braude, was joined on Greater Boston by Jonathan Martinis, senior director for law and policy at Syracuse University’s Burton Blatt Institute, which focuses on disability rights, and Mara Dolan, an attorney and also a #FreeBritney activist.
The saga represents “a failure of the law,” according to Dolan. “The really big question is: how did Jamie Spears — maybe he could be appointed her conservator — but how did he stay appointed for so long and be in a position to deny her consent?” she asked.
“Her artistic freedom was taken away, her freedom of speech was taken away, her control over her health care decisions was taken away. Ultimately, I think that comes down to responsible adults being responsible adults. And when they’re not going to do that, the law has to step up and do a much better job," Dolan added.
Martinis said the legal battle shines a light on experiences of many disabled people, who often go unnoticed by the public. “No one [in the disabled community] is shocked. I have seen situations very much like hers, people I work with in several states, who just aren’t pop stars,” he said. “A lot of people are saying, when Britney says ‘I want my rights back,’ a lot of people said, ‘well I do too.’ That’s a source of hope, though, because Britney Spears is shining a light on the problem… #FreeBritney is an incredibly important movement for our time. But #FreeBritney is about more than just Britney.”
O’Connell echoed that statement: “The reality is, if someone like Britney Spears can be in this position, there must be many more people without her privilege, without her money, who are in similar situations,” she said.
WATCH: Why The Britney Spears conservatorship matters
