Pop star Britney Spears has a new ally in her ongoing battle to free herself from the conservatory imposed by the courts after previous mental health challenges. Now the American Civil Liberties Union has stepped up.
“People with disabilities have the right to live self-sufficient lives and to preserve their civil rights,” the ACLU said in a tweet this week. “If Britney Spears wants to regain her civil liberties and come out of her conservatory, we’re here to help her.”
The 38-year-old Spears has asked the court to remove her father, Jamie Spears, as her conservator over her financial affairs and health arrangements. A judge extended the current settlement for another six months.
Spears has been at the conservatory with her father since 2008 (except for a brief period when her manager, Jodi Montgomery, took over when Jamie Spears had health problems). In 2008, she was twice placed under a grip 5150 in a psychiatric hospital. During her unfair behavior, her head was shaved and a photographer’s car was attacked with an umbrella.
The California Courts website defines a conservatory as the appointment of a responsible person or organization to care for another adult who is unable to care for themselves or manage their own finances.
The fan-driven #FreeBritney movement insists that she be kept against the will in the conservatory and be able to make her own choices. Court documents submitted at the last hearing indicate that Britney Spears’ strongly opposes [Jamie] come back as a conservator of her person. ”
