10 Time July 19/July 26, 2021
VACATED An Afghan National Army soldier stands guard at the gate of Bagram Air Base in
Afghanistan’s Parwan province—the former center of the U.S. military presence in the country—on
July 2, the day the last U.S. troops vacated the facility and handed control to Afghan forces. The AP
reported July 6 that the final American troops exited the base during the night without notifying its
new commander. The full withdrawal of U.S. forces from the nation is nearly complete, following a
February 2020 deal with the Taliban. —Billy Perrigo and Madeleine Carlisle
iN emOTiONAL TeSTimONY TO A cOurT
in Los Angeles on June 23, pop star Britney
Spears asserted publicly for the first time
that she wants to end the conservatorship
she has been placed under for 13 years. Her
legal guardians have dictated where she lives,
works and receives therapy, Spears claimed,
forced her to take medication and prevented
her from removing her IUD. Now, disability
advocates who’ve long fought to reform con-
servatorships hope the high- profile case can
inspire changes to the system.
“OVERPROTECTED” Conservatorships, also
called guardianships, are typically used for
elderly adults, or people with mental ill-
nesses or intellectual or developmental dis-
abilities. They are intended to be protective
mechanisms by which a court-appointed
“conservator” makes decisions for individu-
als deemed incapable of managing their
own affairs. “It’s supposed to be a last resort
because it’s so invasive,” says Zoe Brennan-
Krohn, a staff attorney at the ACLU’s Dis-
ability Rights Project. “But in reality, it’s
very often the first resort.” And once a con-
servatorship is in place, there is little over-
sight, and it is difficult to end it.
“MY PREROGATIVE” A judge first granted
Spears’ father control over her finances
and personal life in 2008 amid concerns
about her mental health and alleged sub-
stance use. A professional conservator and
wealth- management firm were later added.
After Spears’ testimony, the firm asked to
resign, her manager and court-appointed
lawyer resigned, and her mother said Spears
should get to choose her own lawyer. The
next hearing in Spears’ case is July 14. Sena-
tors Elizabeth Warren and Bob Casey have
called for more data on guardianships and
alternatives in light of Spears’ situation.“STRONGER” If people are stripped of their
rights, they can’t learn to make decisions, says
Jonathan Martinis, a disability-rights lawyer
at Syracuse University—and their mistakes
can be used against them. Today, advocates
are promoting a model called “supported
decisionmaking,” which lets individuals build
a network of people whom they trust to help
make their choices, instead of conservator-
ship. “Every time we shine a little bit of light,
things get easier for everyone after that,” Mar-
tinis says. “Britney’s not just shining a light;
she’s a huge spotlight.” —AbigAiL AbrAmSNATION
Britney Spears’ case highlights
flaws in conservatorship system
TheBrief
NEWS
TICKER
Supreme
Court upholds
voting limitsThe U.S. Supreme
Court upheld two
controversial Arizona
voting policies on
July 1. Critics say the
ruling weakens the
Voting Rights Act of
1965, and will make
it harder to challenge
laws restricting the
time and manner of
voting that have been
passed in 17 states
this year.Haiti’s
President
assassinatedHaitian President
Jovenel Moïse was
assassinated in
an attack on his
private residence,
the country’s Prime
Minister said July 7.
Opposition leaders
had demanded that
Moïse step down
amid controversy
over his rule by
decree, but officials
did not say who the
perpetrators were.Boy Scouts
reach $850m
settlementTens of thousands of
people involved in a
lawsuit against the
Boy Scouts of America
alleging sexual abuse
reached a $850 million
settlement agreement
with the organization
on July 1—the largest
in a child sexual-
abuse case in U.S.
history. The group filed
bankruptcy in 2020
in the face of rising
allegations.