Following the Supreme Court’s historic reversal of Roe v. Wade, most Hollywood studios wasted little time in condemning the decision, even promising to pay for employees’ abortions. Behind the virtue signaling, however, their commitment to the pro-abortion movement is starting to look superficial at best.
Hollywood has so far made no indication it will quit Georgia and Louisiana in protest of their stance on abortion. The reason? Studios continue to reap lucrative tax incentives doled out by those states to lure movie and TV productions, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter.
Georgia is likely to implement some form of abortion restriction following the overturning of Roe. State lawmakers are reportedly waiting to see if a federal appeals court will reinstate the state’s fetal heartbeat abortion law, which would essentially outlaw abortion after six weeks.
Georgia is the most popular shooting destination for Hollywood productions, with shows including Netflix’s Stranger Things and AMC’s The Walking Dead filming around the state. Disney has filmed many of its Marvel superhero movies in Georgia, including Black Panther and its upcoming sequel.
Some stars and studios pulled production from Georgia following the passage of a pro-life law in 2019.
There are over 20 productions shooting in GA & the state just voted to strip women of their bodily autonomy.
Hollywood! We should stop feeding GA economy. #HB481IsBadForBusiness
Heartbeat bill approved by Georgia Senate https://t.co/sFdahrIGnY https://t.co/TXJKMOPHcJ
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) March 23, 2019
In Louisiana, a state judge on Friday lifted an order that was temporarily blocking the state’s abortion trigger bans from taking effect, making all abortions illegal in the state.
Boycotting Georgia and Louisiana would pose a thorny ethical dilemma for Hollywood studios since they would have to move their productions to other states with similar locales and tax incentives. But that would mean boycotting nearly half of the country, a feat that would be difficult if not impossible for any studio with multiple productions to manage.
Jonathan Kuntz, a film historian at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, told the Reporter that the entertainment industry has historically been averse to taking political action, especially when it could impact the bottom line.
“Once you boycott one [state], some folks may see it as a slippery slope. That’s tricky. It’s very difficult for a large company to negotiate that.”
Thus far, there has been no indication about a mass industry boycott.
“It’s been relatively quiet,” Alexxiss Jackson, a Georgia-based director of photography, told the Reporter. “Me and my first AD were talking about the concern of a boycott because there was so much talk about that, but I haven’t heard anything specific about it.”
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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