Video streaming giant Netflix said if the new anti-abortion law the state passed is enforced, they will reconsider their business in the state.
“We have many women working on productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions of others, will be severely restricted by this law,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, told Variety in a statement.
“It’s why we will work with the ACLU and others to fight it in court. Given the legislation has not yet been implemented, we’ll continue to film there, while also supporting partners and artists who choose not to. Should it ever come into effect, we’d rethink our entire investment in Georgia,” he said.
Sarandos joins the many celebrities and entertainment professionals who have spoken out against Georgia’s “heartbeat law,” which bans abortion after six weeks.
[Read: Governor signs ‘heartbeat bill’: Georgia will ‘not back down’]
I can’t ask any female member of any film production with which I am involved to so marginalize themselves or compromise their inalienable authority over their own bodies. I must undertake production where the rights of all citizens remain intact. Other filmmakers will see this. https://t.co/V2xDPKiMpo
— David Simon (@AoDespair) May 8, 2019
.@brielarson, @PattyArquette, @1SpencerGarrett, @amysmart26, @MelissaJPeltier @GraceParra360, @halfadams, @Slack2thefuture, @mrrickywhittle, @eorlins & #NataliePortman are also telling @BrianKempGA, that #HB481IsBadForBusiness. There are now over 100 signers. pic.twitter.com/tsGTzX6xLf
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) April 1, 2019
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp hit back at the boycott threats, saying, “We are the party of freedom and opportunity. We value and protect innocent life — even though that makes C-list celebrities squawk.”
