Following a week of heartbreaking testimony and a judge's denial of the singer's request to remove her father's legal conservatorship over her $60 million estate, Gaetz is asking Spears to testify before Congress in the hopes that public pressure will help bring an end to the 39-year-old singer's lack of control over her own affairs.
"We have been following your conservatorship battle with deep concern. We could see the struggle and torment you were enduring. We could see the obvious financial, emotional and psychological abuse at the hands of your conservators," Gaetz wrote in a letter to the former pop star. "Your life, liberty, and happiness have been taken from you. Please take advantage of the empowerment that public congressional testimony can unlock."
During her testimony regarding a since-denied November request to remove her father Jamie Spears' conservatorship, Britney Spears explained that she was forced to take lithium against her will.
"Lithium is a very, very strong [medication] and completely different medication than what I've been on. You can go mentally impaired if you take too much, stay on it longer than five months," Spears said during the hearing. "I felt drunk. I couldn't even stick up for myself. I couldn't even have a conversation with my mom or dad about anything. I told them I was scared and they had six different nurses come to my home to monitor me while I was on this medication that I didn't want to be on to begin with."
Spears has been under conservatorship for 13 years, following a series of hospitalizations in 2008.
"You owe nothing to anyone; you deserve to live a life of freedom and to choose your own path.," Gaetz wrote in his request to the singer on Thursday."We stand with you, Britney – whatever you decide."
This article first appeared at our sister publication Orlando Weekly.
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This article appears in Jul 1-7, 2021.