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BEYOND BRITNEY: THE POLITICS OF CONSERVATORSHIPS
Conservatorships came into the public spotlight in the past two years thanks to superstar Britney Spears. But what exactly is a conservatorship - and are all of them as toxic as Britney’s? WORDS BY EMMA BRUSTKERN | ART BY RACHEL HARTLEY
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n the past year, Britney Spears has become a household name again, and it’s not because of her iconic hits such as “... Baby One More Time.” Instead, her recent spike in popularity can be accredited to her efforts to end the conservatorship she’s been under since 2008. Britney’s conservatorship has not only led to greater public awareness about conservatorships, but also sparked questions from activists and fans about the ethics and conditions of conservatorships.
What Even Is A Conservatorship?
Laws regarding conservatorships vary from state to state. In California, where Britney’s case took place, a conservatorship
is an arrangement in which a person or other entity, known as the conservator, has the ability to care for another adult who cannot care for themselves. In Iowa, the picture is slightly different. Here, a conservatorship deals solely with an individual’s financial decisions, while a guardianship deals with non-financial decisions, such as medical care and place of residency. “You have to be a person who the court finds that you have impaired decisionmaking capacity and that because of your impaired decision-making capacity, you’re unable to provide for your own care, you’re at risk of illness or injury,” Scott Lyon, a staff attorney for Disability
Rights Iowa said. “With respect to conservatorship, you are unable to make decisions about your finances.”
Britney’s Battle
Following a series of highly publicized mental health struggles, Britney was put under a conservatorship controlled by her father, Jamie Spears. While the arrangement was originally temporary, the situation was eventually made permanent, with Jamie taking complete control of both her personal life and financial assets. In June of 2021, Britney asked a judge to end the conservatorship, saying her father and the co-conservator were DRAKE POLITICAL REVIEW
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