I wonder what would happen if the members of the #FreeBritney movement started focusing their attention on protesting not just Spear's situation but the way guardianships and conservatorships are run in the United States

Push for legal mechanisms to allow people under guardianship to be given opportunities to prove competence

Advocate for levels of guardianship that allow independence through supported decision making

The all or nothing system that is currently being used against Britney Spears is not isolated to her and advocating for systemic change rather than an exception might actually be more effective

But it requires seeing everyone under guardianships with the same humanity afforded to Britney Spears

It requires acceptance of non celebrities who have had public or private mental health crises

It means moving to a cultural model that truly destigmatizes mental health and cognitive disability

It requires letting go of privileging arguments that rely on questioning the legitimacy of Spear's diagnosis of early onset dementia because regardless of the facts there she isn't going to lose that diagnosis by public vote

create a cultural space that privileges the humanity of people under guardianship and is set up to allow people who might need assistance to maintain the maximum level of independence possible for their individual needs

It's a lot harder to get people into potentially abusive guardianship situations if there are built in options that are less extreme if people under guardianship have the right to independently challenge their guardianship status

I live in Ontario, if someone sought to place me under adult guardianship, I have the right to be informed of this action and am given opportunity to oppose it.

Should I ever need additional help, I have options like legally recognized supported decision making

It's not a perfect system, people can still fall through the cracks but to improve the situation by adding checks and balances requires organized political action