Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate, Stacey Abrams, does not want Hollywood boycotting the state over the anti-abortion heartbeat bill.
What We Know:
- The bill signed by Gov. Brian Kemp last week bans abortions once a fetus’ heartbeat is detected. This law restricts abortion at six weeks of pregnancy when many women are unaware that they’re pregnant.
- Abrams argues that Hollywood should not boycott Georgia, but they should instead stay to fight the bill by supporting the work being done by local organizations.
- There has been a significant amount of pressure on members in the entertainment industry to decide on whether or not to pull their productions from the state, as some actors such as Alyssa Milano, Gabrielle Union and Laverne Cox, have pledged not to work in the state. Georgia is a popular filming location because of its tax credit program for television and film projects. In 2018, Georgia filmed 455 television and film productions that generated $2.7 billion in direct spending in the state.
- “While I understand the calls for a boycott in Georgia, I’m going to follow a different path,” Abrams said. She encourages Hollywood producers and other opponents of the bill to invest in organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Planned Parenthood, and Fair Fight Georgia, an organization founded by Abrams. Directors J.J Abrams and Jordan Peele plan on donating money from their HBO series, “Lovecraft County” to Fair Fight Georgia and ACLU Georgia.
- Abrams tweeted “In the pursuit of justice, economic boycotts have long been successful tools. Georgia has witnessed the good effects here and with our neighbors. I strongly support the right of every American to exercise their values through economic protest.”
While Abrams supports the idea of an economic boycott, she believes the strategy would be ineffective with Republican lawmakers.
I respect the call for a boycott on Georgia, but I do not believe it is the most effective, strategic choice for change. https://t.co/9W9M9sb6Zg
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) May 15, 2019
More than 80 actors and creators have signed on to tell @BrianKempGA that #HB481IsBadForBusiness in #Georga. Thank you @billprady, @billybaldwin, @robertsemma, @rileykeough, @evanrachelwood, @MsSarahPaulson, @emmyrossum, @jes_chastain, @arielwinter1, @stevekazee, & @juddapatow pic.twitter.com/rB31ck6IZf
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) March 30, 2019
