A Legal, Literary, & Public Health-Based Analysis of Demi Lovato’s New Punk Rock Reproductive Rights Anthem, ‘Swine’

Screengrab from music video.

Music and politics have a storied connection that spans genres and has been seen in the discography of artists ranging from Sam Cooke, Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, N.W.A., Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, The Chicks, and Taylor Swift.

Artists saw backlash for speaking against political figures, namely the country girl group The Chicks when they publicly criticized former POTUS George Bush and his participation in the Iraq War. In 2023, music and art remain reflections of political movements (like Black Lives Matter), anti-war sentiments, and notable elections.

Demi Lovato’s 2023 release, Swine, is not the artist’s first foray into music-as-politics. In 2022, she released 29 a ‘Me Too’ message about consent and the grooming she experienced as a teenager in her relationship with actor Wilmer Valderrama, who was 12 years her senior. Before that, in 2020, she released Commander in Chief, which features a cover image of Lovato wearing a COVID-19 mask that reads ‘VOTE’ across the mouth. The song is an open letter to former president Donald Trump calling out his “mishandling of racial injustice, white supremacy, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the dismantling of LGBTQ rights.” In her interview with CNN, Lovato says, “It’s important to me that I get to use my platform for more than just singing.”

The politics of ‘Swine’

Swine can only be described as a reproductive rights anthem that will make its listeners want to flip tables, take to the streets, and march — its melody even mimics the common protest mantra: my body, my choice. The lyrics and music video are loaded with passion, rage, and symbolism.

Let’s break down the lyrics and imagery to reveal the subtle and overt references to the reproductive rights movement and the current political stature of the United States, beginning with the dominant lyric: “It’s mine, or I’m just swine.”

“It’s mine, or I’m just swine.”

“It” refers to the right to reproductive autonomy, including but not limited to abortion access. Lovato provides the disgusting (but effective) comparison between not having reproductive authority and being swine, meaning people with the capacity to be pregnant and/or give birth are bred, herded, and led to slaughter — completely controlled by others, with no autonomy.

‘Swine’ is also commonly used derogatorily to refer to people who are unpleasant & dirty — adding another layer of contempt toward people who can become pregnant and give birth.

If you reach back into your memory and you remember reading (or watching) George Orwell’s Animal Farm in middle school — a story in which pigs become the leaders of an Orwellian (totalitarian and dystopian) ‘state.’ This reference to Orwell’s work is a reference to the ‘Orwellian’ nature of reproductive rights in the U.S. By the end of this work of fiction, the animals literally see the writing on the wall: “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.” This inscription is terribly reminiscent of the Louisiana state law that was upheld by the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson, which allowed for “equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races.” Moreover, it refers to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, which reads:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The reality is: when people’s rights are taken away because their privilege does not protect them, they are not being treated equally, nor do they hold these ‘unalienable’ rights to life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness.

“I don’t know a thing, the government knows my body. No, it’s okay, it’s better this way, I’m only a carbon copy”

Here, Lovato sarcastically refers to the government’s lack of capacity to believe that people know what’s best for their own bodies and lives.

Following the reversal of Roe v. Wade after 49 years, abortion access has plummeted across America. According to the Guttmacher Institute, as of July 5th:

• 13 states have banned abortion completely.
• 2 states have restricted access and an early gestational age ban.
• 11 states have restricted access and a later gestational age ban.
• 8 states have a few or a combination of restrictions and protections.
• 16 states have some, most, or all protective policies.

Plus, medication abortions continue to face constant legislature, despite being safe, effective, widely used, and essential for healthcare.

“Even if I’m dying, they’ll still try to stop me”

The United States is a global power and extremely developed — yet the country ranks 55th on the World Health Organization’s maternal mortality rate rankings, and our maternal mortality rate continues to increase — meaning more people are dying due to pregnancy-related and associated reasons.

The CDC reported in 2021 that 1,205 women died of maternal causes; in 2019, 754 people died from maternal causes.

The U.S. maternal mortality rate in 2021 was 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births. Comparatively, the rate for non-Hispanic Black women in the U.S. was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births — 2.6 times the rate of White women.

For further comparison, here are the maternal mortality ratios (different from rate) of some select countries according to The World Bank:

• Belarus = 1 death per 100,000 live births (2020)
• Australia = 3 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020)
• United Kingdom = 10 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020)
• Canada = 11 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020)
• United States = 21 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020)
• Argentina = 45 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020)
• Afghanistan = 620 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020)
• South Sudan = 1,223 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020)

“Under-compensated, too domesticated”

This refers to the intersectional pay gap that exists based on race and gender. The U.S. Department of Labor admits, “On average, women working full time, year round are paid 83.7% of what men are paid. This inequity is even greater for Black and Hispanic women.” Also, regarding education: “On average, women have more years of education and are more likely than men to have completed Associate’s, Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees. Yet there is a significant gender wage gap at every level of education.”

“Picture your faith, imagine your God and even your Holy Bible is suddenly banned, do you understand? Now doesn’t that sound entitled? It’s your book, but it’s my survival”

This lyric reminds us of the ever-present religious rhetoric that encompasses discussions about reproductive rights and abortion. However, this rhetoric is being reclaimed by some, as cited in this article:

Meanwhile, in Kentucky, three Jewish women are arguing the state’s ban violates their religious rights under the state’s Constitution and religious freedom law. They say in a lawsuit, which has been removed to federal court, that Kentucky’s Republican-dominated legislature “imposed sectarian theology” by prohibiting nearly all abortions. The ban remains in effect while the Kentucky Supreme Court considers a separate case challenging the law.

Lovato also keenly hints at the recent state laws that enact book bans due to ‘controversial’ content (often LGBTQIA+ themes, racial justice, and more).

“We gotta grow ’em, we gotta raise ’em, we gotta feed and bathe ’em, and if you won’t, they call you a witch to burn at the stake in Salem”

The allusion to the Salem Witch Trials characterizes the historical and ongoing court of public opinion that castigates people who either have abortions or give birth and do not wish to raise their offspring.

Additionally, women died after being accused of witchcraft — and now people can face criminal charges for performing, aiding, or abetting abortions based on reports from other civilians.

“Thought by now they’d change, but we’re still waiting”

The United States has been the only country to roll back abortion access since the 1990s. Let that sink in. Read more about the fall of Roe v. Wade which protected abortion rights until June 2022.

Visual imagery from the music video

1. Lovato’s red hood is nothing if not a symbol of reproductive dystopia that reminds all of us of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale — a horrifying must-read for your summer reading list.
2. Lovato sits in Jesus’ seat in a mosaic identical to the one in Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. At the end of the video, Lovato walks directly into the flames, symbolizing hell, and playing into the aforementioned religious rhetoric.
3. At the table, we see White men and one Black man making decisions and legislating on behalf of women and other genders’ bodies. The seated man with the combover holding the pen is, unsurprisingly, Donald Trump. The Black man to the right of Trump is Clarence Thomas, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Lovato holds (and eventually tears up) the Constitution.

Watch the music video below. ALL SONG PROCEEDS ARE DONATED TO ABORTION FUNDS. Learn more here.

Written by: Gillian Singer, MPH | Read more of my work