News Articles

Friday, June 7, 2019
Since Republican legislators in deeply gerrymandered states like Georgia and Louisiana approved strict laws constricting access to abortion procedures, Netflix, Disney, WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal, and a California state assemblywoman have responded with efforts to protest by revoking in-state film and television production.
 
Addressed in a recent statement by Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, the streamer became the first major entertainment company to disavow the Georgia heartbeat bill and pledge support to the American Civil Liberties Union, which promised to challenge such laws in court. “We have many women working on productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions of others, will be severely restricted by this law,” Sarandos told Variety.
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Tuesday, June 4, 2019

After weeks of silence on Georgia’s new abortion ban, a deluge of Hollywood companies — led by the Reed Hastings-run Netflix and followed by Disney, WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal, AMC, Sony, CBS and Viacom — said May  30 that they may pull projects from the high-production state if the law isn’t overturned in court before it takes effect in January. If that happens, a source close to Georgia’s department of economic development tells The Hollywood Reporter, the impact of such a mass exodus would be “crippling.” With a $9.5  billion industry on the line, other states are scrambling to find ways to poach Georgia’s lucrative film and television business.

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Sunday, June 2, 2019
North Carolina took a nearly $4B hit to its economy when companies and tourism-generating events left the state after it passed anti-LGBT legislation in 2016. Three years later, other Sun Belt states seem to have missed the lesson in business and politics. 
 
Georgia, Kentucky and Mississippi have passed similar bills this year where abortion is banned once a heartbeat is detected. Arkansas and Utah have passed bills banning abortion after 18 weeks of pregnancy. Alabama passed the strictest ban, outlawing the procedure entirely with few exceptions. 
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Friday, May 31, 2019

Gloria Steinem, a long-time proponent of abortion rights, said, “Women in such anti-abortion groups are more likely to be deprived of birth control and so do need an abortion.

Reaction in California

California elected officials have spoken out against steps to impede a woman’s right to abortion.

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Wednesday, May 29, 2019
The third season of The Handmaid’s Tale may be a month away, but it already feels like it’s making headlines. More states have passed and signed legislation that makes it hard for women to get safe and legal abortions—including in Georgia, which has become a key state for the film industry. How are media companies like Disney, Warner Bros. and AMC handling this crisis? Largely, by not saying anything.
 
Netflix, one of a few outliers, released a statement to Variety today condemning Georgia’s “heartbeat bill,” which was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp earlier this month. The law bans nearly all abortions after six weeks, including in the case of rape or incest, and is set to go into effect in 2020. This law would impact thousands of people in a state that’s added a lot of jobs thanks to Hollywood’s expansion.
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Thursday, May 23, 2019

ATLANTA—Georgia’s swelling film and television industry, known locally as Y’allywood, faces growing pressure from a boycott launched by some actors and producers over a new state law restricting abortion.

The standoff differs from Hollywood’s past objections to Georgia policies. While a growing list of actors and producers say they will avoid working in the state until the law is overturned, most major studios—which receive generous tax incentives from the state—haven’t announced any change in their plans.

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Thursday, May 23, 2019

A California lawmaker has introduced a bill that would offer new incentives for movie and film productions that want to leave Georgia or other states with restrictive abortion laws.

Assembly Bill 1442 would allow an additional tax credit starting in January 2020 for qualified productions that do not want to film in states that have “pending legislation or existing law that prohibits access to, criminalizes the provision of, or otherwise restricts a woman’s access to abortion services after 6 weeks from the beginning of the pregnancy or earlier.”

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