Actress and political activist Alyssa Milano has called for women to abstain from sex with men via a “sex strike,” claiming, “Our reproductive rights are being erased.”
“Until women have legal control over our own bodies we just cannot risk pregnancy,” she wrote. “JOIN ME by not having sex until we get bodily autonomy back. I’m calling for a #SexStrike. Pass it on.”
The star of Netflix’s Insatiable also repeated her call for Hollywood production companies and celebrities to stop filming in Georgia since Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed the “Heartbeat” abortion bill into law.
The Georgia law, officially titled the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, prohibits abortions in the state after a heartbeat is detected, usually at about six weeks of pregnancy. Cases of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is in danger, are exceptions to the law.
Thus far, only a handful of film producers have said they will pull out of the state, though more than 100 of Milano’s industry supporters signed her boycott letter launched in March as a failed threat to prevent Kemp from signing the legislation into law.
“Should people wait to boycott? No,” Milano instructed, according to The Wrap. “Should we keep funding states that put forth hurtful policy? No. If you are offered a project that shoots in Georgia or are a producer considering working in Georgia or any state with a heartbeat bill, you should not take that job and you should be vocal about why you’re not taking that job.”
As Breitbart News reported, David Simon’s Blown Deadline Productions, Killer Films CEO Christine Vachon, and Mark Duplass have vowed to boycott the state.
The Hollywood Reporter observed producer Nina Jacobson of Colorforce, which produces Crazy Rich Asians and American Crime Story, will be leaving Georgia as well.
Similarly, CounterNarrative films, which produced Netflix’s Triple Frontier, said it will no longer film in the state unless the law is repealed. “No Georgia filming on any of our projects until this law is gone,” producer Neal Dodson posted to Twitter:
Mr. Pictures, which produced Bullitt County, also tweeted it will stop filming in Georgia “until the state treats women as equal citizens”:
Film producers J.J. Abrams of Bad Robot and Jordan Peele of Monkeypaw Productions will begin filming their new show, Lovecraft Country, in Georgia, but in a joint statement said they “stand with Stacey Abrams and the hardworking people of Georgia, and will donate 100 percent of our respective episodic fees for this season to two organizations leading the charge against this draconian law: the ACLU of Georgia and Fair Fight Georgia.”
“Governor Kemp’s ‘Fetal Heartbeat’ Abortion Law is an unconstitutional effort to further restrict women and their health providers from making private medical decisions on their terms,” the producers added. “Make no mistake, this is an attack aimed squarely and purposely at women. We encourage those who are able to funnel any and all resources to these organizations.”
The move met with Milano’s approval:
Milano herself remains filming Netflix’s second season of Insatiable in Georgia because she is “currently contractually obligated to be there for another month.”
“But I will do everything in my power to get as many productions as possible – including Insatiable– to move out of this state which continues to put forth oppressive, hurtful policy that contradicts everything the entertainment industry stands for,” she said, reported CNN. “And if Insatiable doesn’t move to another state, I will not be able to return to the show if we are blessed with a third season.”
However, the Motion Picture Academy of America (MPAA) — which represents the five major film studios — says it will wait to make its final decision, based on how the law fares in the courts.
“Film and television production in Georgia supports more than 92,000 jobs and brings significant economic benefits to communities and families,” said Chris Ortman, MPAA senior vice president of communications, adding:
It is important to remember that similar legislation has been attempted in other states, and has either been enjoined by the courts or is currently being challenged. The outcome in Georgia will also be determined through the legal process. We will continue to monitor developments.
After signing the Heartbeat bill into law, Kemp told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the state’s “business environment’s good.”
“We cannot change our values of who we are for money,” he said. “And we’re not going to do that. That’s what makes our state great.”
“For people to want to boycott the state because we are protecting life at the heartbeat — I don’t understand that,” the governor asserted.
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