Netflix just picked a very worthy fight.
The streaming giant and production studio said it plans to work with the American Civil Liberties Union to “fight” Georgia’s new abortion ban.
“We have many women working on productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions of others, will be severely restricted by this law,” Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos told Variety in a statement published Tuesday. “It’s why we will work with the ACLU and others to fight it in court.”
The legislation, which was signed by Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, earlier this month, is part of a wave of attacks on abortion rights across the country. Georgia’s ban makes it unlawful for women to terminate a pregnancy after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is sometimes as early as six weeks. While several actors and production companies (mostly fronted by women) have since threatened to pull their projects from Georgia’s growing film industry in protest of the abortion bill, Netflix is the first major player to wade into the fray. The bill is poised to take effect in January,
Netflix currently has several productions currently filming in the state, including the third season of Ozark, but Sarandos said the studio would “rethink [its] entire investment in Georgia,” if the law goes into effect. “Given the legislation has not yet been implemented, we’ll continue to film there, while also supporting partners and artists who choose not to,” Sarandos said.
The ACLU and Planned Parenthood have already started to fight the bill’s implementation.
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