Georgia's new law restricting abortion access is sparking a growing outcry in Hollywood, with some production companies calling for a boycott of the state and others vowing to support the legal battle against the legislation which takes effect in 2020. At least five companies say they won't shoot projects in the Peach State unless the legislation is overturned. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed Bill 481 (the Living Infants Fairness and Equality Act) on Tuesday to ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. That can be as early as six weeks. The bill is set to take effect in January 2020. Among those speaking out are Killer Films CEO Christine Vachon, whose company was behind critically acclaimed films Vox Lux and First Reformed, and Mark Duplass of Duplass Brothers Productions, which has deals with both Netflix and HBO. Duplass tweeted Thursday: "Don't give your business to Georgia." David Simon, the creator and executive producer behind the acclaimed series The Wire, said he cannot "ask any of my female colleagues to work in a jurisdiction that limits their health care options and impairs their civil liberties." Don’t give your business to Georgia. Will you pledge with me not to film anything in Georgia until they reverse this backwards legislation? —@MarkDuplass Killer Films will no longer consider Georgia as a viable shooting location until this ridiculous law is overturned. —@kvpi Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele, who won an Oscar for his Get Out screenplay in 2018, called the legislation "draconian" in a joint statement Friday but are taking a different approach. The filmmakers say they'll proceed with the production of their upcoming drama-horror series Lovecraft Country in the state but will donate their producer fees — the pay each receives per episode — to support organizations fighting against the ban. In March, 50 actors including Alyssa Milano, Alec Baldwin, Ben Stiller and Laverne Cox signed an open letter saying they would not support production in Georgia if the anti-abortion bill was passed. "We will do everything in our power to move our industry to a safer state for women if H.B. 481 becomes law," the letter said. Filmmakers J.J. Abrams (left) and Jordan Peele say they will not move their upcoming production out of Georgia but will instead donate their fees to organizations leading the fight against the anti-abortion bill in the state. (Getty Images) Easier said than done While many refer to Canada as Hollywood North, Georgia is considered by many to be Hollywood South because of the number of productions it hosts. There were 455 productions in the state last fiscal year. Fifteen of North America's top-grossing films in 2017 were shot in the U.S. state, according to FilmLA including Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming. That was more than in California and second only to Canada that year. Spider-Man: Homecoming was among several top-grossing films in 2017 shot in Georgia. (Marvel Studios/YouTube) Georgia offers generous incentives and credits for production companies that film there. It's also home to Pinewood Atlanta studios, a state-of-the-art soundstage and the largest in the U.S. outside Los Angeles. In 2018, Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War (both produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Disney) were among the blockbusters filmed in Georgia, which has also provided the backdrop for popular television series including Atlanta, The Walking Dead, Stranger Things, Ozark and Insatiable. AMC's hit zombie drama The Walking Dead was among the 455 productions shot in Georgia during the 2017-18 fiscal year. (Gene Page/AMC) Talent speaks out, major studios remain quiet Milano, who stars on Netflix's Insatiable, told Buzzfeed News she's bound by contract to finish shooting the current season but will fight "tooth and nail" to move the series out of Georgia should the bill take effect. She said if the series continues for a third season, she won't return if it remains in the state. The actress has also called for a sex strike to protest the ban. Alyssa Milano, who stars on the Georgia-filmed Netflix series Insatiable, told Buzzfeed News she would not continue for a potential third season if the state enacts its anti-abortion bill and the production doesn't move in protest. (Rich Fury/Getty Images) In 2016, both Netflix and Disney threatened to move their projects elsewhere after an anti-LGBTQ bill was signed in Georgia. The legislation was eventually vetoed by the governor at the time. The Motion Picture Association of America says film and television projects in Georgia, including the 2018 blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War, support more than 92,000 local jobs. (Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios) This time, both companies have stayed relatively quiet so far, with Netflix telling CBC News it's in accordance with the stance held by the Motion Picture Association of America. The MPAA told Variety that it will "continue to monitor developments" related to the abortion bill. According to the organization, film and television projects in the state support more than 92,000 local jobs. Many film and television workers in Georgia have said a boycott will do more harm than good to those trying to fight against the law. "It is important to remember that similar legislation has been attempted in other states, and has either been enjoined by the courts or currently being challenged," MPAA spokesman Chris Ortman told the publication earlier this week. The American Civil Liberties Union said it will challenge the legislation in court. Mississippi and Ohio are among the states which have signed similar bills this year. An Iowa judge struck down a "fetal heartbeat" abortion ban in that state in January, deeming it unconstitutional.<doc-sep>MONTGOMERY, Ala. – In 2019, more than a dozen states have either passed or attempted to pass stricter abortion legislation. Alabama's Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would be the most restrictive in the nation. Georgia's Gov. Brian Kemp has already signed a bill that would make performing an abortion illegal once a heartbeat is detected. That new law is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. Two other states – Ohio and Mississippi – have passed similar legislation. The bills are expected to face litigation. Here are similarities and differences between the Georgia law and the proposed Alabama law: When can you get an abortion? Current state law in both states outlaws abortion after 20 weeks unless the woman's health is at risk. Georgia's newly signed law would change the time period to six weeksof pregnancy, a time period in which many critics say many women aren't yet aware of their pregnancy. Alabama lawmakers in the House and Senate have sent a bill to Gov. Kay Ivey's desk that would ban nearly all abortions in the state at any stage of the pregnancy unless the mother’s physical or mental health is in jeopardy. In Alabama:Alabama Senate approves near-total ban on abortion; sends bill to the governor In Georgia:Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signs fetal heartbeat bill, one of most restrictive abortion laws in nation What about in cases of rape or incest? The law Kemp signed in May does include an exception in cases of rape and incest. As the law is written, it requires that the pregnancy is at 20 weeks or less and an official police report must be filed alleging the rape and/or incest. The same is currently true for Alabama but the state's House passed a bill without an exception for rape and incest. The Senate weighed an amendment from Democrats asking for an exemption in cases of rape and incest, which failed to pass. The Senate passed the bill without exemptions and sent it to the governor. Our laws:You elected them to write new laws. They’re letting corporations do it instead. Deadly deliveries: Hospitals know how to protect mothers. They just aren’t doing it. If abortions are a crime, what is the penalty? Who is liable? Currently, breaking abortion law in Georgia can be punished with imprisonment "for not less than one nor more than 10 years." The newly signed bill gives no indication as to who would be charged with penalties and what, if any, those penalties would be. Some have speculated that since the bill recognizes unborn children as "natural persons," that women who choose abortion or miscarry or the medical professionals who help them, would face murder charges, but the term has been used routinely in the previous criminal code, which the measure does not repeal. Bill breakdown:Here's what to know about the state's proposed abortion ban Abortion 'reversal'?The method is unproved, but Ohio lawmakers want women to consider it Alabama's bill would punish a doctor or abortion provider who performs a procedure with a Class A felony – punishable by life or 10 to 99 years in prison. Attempting to perform an abortion would be a Class C felony, punishable by one to 10 years in prison. The woman seeking an abortion would not face charges under the bill. Alabama Rep. Terri Collins, a Republican from Decatur who sponsored the bill, says the purpose of the bill is to challenge the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. "The heart of this bill is to confront a decision that was made by the courts in 1973 that said the baby in the womb is not a person," Collins said. "This bill addresses that one issue. Is that baby in the womb a person? I believe our law says it is. I believe our people say it is. And I believe technology shows it is." Nate Chute is a producer with the USA Today Network. Follow him on Twitter: @nchute Supreme Court:Strict state anti-abortion laws aimed at Supreme Court; justices not eager to consider them<doc-sep>Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill that would ban abortions if a fetal heartbeat can be detected -- a law that the American Civil Liberties Union says it will challenge in court. CNN's Dianne Gallagher reports.<doc-sep>Read Story Transcript A Democratic senator in Georgia has condemned a new law that would ban abortion once the "heartbeat" of a fetus is detectable, arguing that its language isn't based in scientific fact and could spark unintended legal consequences for women and their physicians. "What they're really trying to do is to invade the doctor-patient relationship and … insert their own opinions, whether that's law enforcement, whether they're political, whether they're religious kind of judgments into these incredibly personal decisions," Jen Jordan told As It Happens host Carol Off. Bill 481, (pdf link) signed into law Tuesday by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, would effectively ban the procedure around six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. "It virtually outlaws abortion, you know, across the board," said Jordan. Jordan says that at around six weeks, what has been described as a detectable heartbeat isn't exactly a heartbeat at all. "It's fetal pole cardiac activity. It's kind of the beginnings of, you know, the mass of cells that will become a human body taken to full term," she explained. Current law allows women in Georgia to seek an abortion during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. If it's not blocked in court, the new ban would take effect Jan. 1. Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signs legislation on May 7, 2019 in Atlanta, banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can be as early as 6 weeks before many women know they're pregnant. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) The measure makes exceptions in the case of rape and incest — if the woman files a police report first — and to save the life of the mother. It also would allow for abortions when a fetus is determined not to be viable because of serious medical issues. The legal director of the ACLU of Georgia, Sean Young, has said the measure is unconstitutional, and the group plans to challenge it in court. 'A bad policy across the board' Jordan is particularly concerned about language in the bill that would recognize a fetus as a person, granting it the full rights of a person as such. "It's opening a Pandora's Box, that I don't even know if we even understand the complete implications of it right now. But that's why it's just such a bad policy across the board," she said. The bill provides provisions for alimony, child support, and even income tax deductions for fetuses, declaring that "the full value of a child begins at the point when a detectable human heartbeat exists." This recognition could result in criminal prosecution for the mother, physician or anyone else deemed responsible for a miscarriage, she said. Planned Parenthood Southeast's chief executive and president Staci Fox, centre, speaks in protest of Georgia's anti-abortion 'heartbeat' bill at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on May 7. (Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters) "That's really what they're trying to set up here — this construct that once there is a fertilized egg, that really the woman becomes kind of secondary to that, and really is just a vessel," she said. Jordan said she is also worried that the new law will push obstetricians away from practicing in Georgia, worsening health care outcomes for women in a state that already has one of the nation's worst maternal mortality rates. Personal story of fertility, miscarriages In her dissenting statement in the Georgia legislature, Jordan described her own painful experiences with fertility: out of 10 pregnancies, eight resulted in miscarriages. "I may not be a physician, but I can tell you that, particularly in my life, I have seen what you call a heartbeat many times in pregnancies that did not result in viability or birth," she told Off. Jordan struggled with sharing these intimate details of her private life, but felt it was critical that other senators hear it. "I'm not just saying what someone else told me, or what I read. I am telling you what my own experience has been, and that is completely inconsistent with what you're asserting as scientific fact." She admits being dismayed that the bill went through after her statement, particularly that none of the Republicans in the legislature changed their position. "I really did share something incredibly personal, and it almost felt like a personal rebuke, to some extent," she said. Michelle Disher, dressed as a handmaid from Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, attends the protest of the 'heartbeat' anti-abortion law in Atlanta on May 7. (Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters) Jordan hopes the bill's signing will spur more women to run for office and get elected in the looming 2020 general elections. "It just became clear that the men of the chamber — because that's who it is, they're men — really have no idea the implications of the law that they're passing." "And it isn't just about abortion. This really is about women's autonomy and health-care decisions." Georgia is the fourth state to sign "heartbeat" abortion laws into law in 2019, following Mississippi, Kentucky and Ohio. Written by Jonathan Ore with files from The Associated Press. Interview with Jen Jordan produced by Allie Jaynes.<doc-sep>
Multiple production companies have announced they will no longer film in Georgia after the state passed a restrictive abortion law. The law, signed by Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, on Tuesday, bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can be as early as six weeks, before some women even know they are pregnant. Georgia has quietly become a major production location for film and television largely because of tax incentives the state offers. In 2016, according to the nonprofit Film LA, 17 of the year’s top 100 films were produced in Georgia, more than California. Kemp said this year that the industry employs around 200,000 Georgians and brings in tens of billions of dollars of revenue to the state. David Simon, creator of the “The Wire,” said his production company, Blown Deadline Productions, will cease filming in the state. “Our comparative assessments of locations for upcoming development will pull Georgia off the list until we can be assured the health options and civil liberties of our female colleagues are unimpaired,” Simon tweeted Wednesday. Mark Duplass, whose Duplass Brothers Production has a multifilm deal with Netflix, tweeted, “Don’t give your business to Georgia,” and asked other producers to join him. Don’t give your business to Georgia. Will you pledge with me not to film anything in Georgia until they reverse this backwards legislation? — Mark Duplass (@MarkDuplass) May 9, 2019 While the announced boycott may be limited at this point, others in the film industry may join it. CounterNarrative Films said it will no longer work in Georgia, and Christine Vachon, whose company, Killer Films, has produced Oscar-winning and nominated films like “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Carol,” tweeted that her company won’t film in Georgia “until this ridiculous law is overturned.” In March, before the bill was signed into law, actress Alyssa Milano delivered a letter to Kemp and Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston signed by 50 other actors saying, “We cannot in good conscience continue to recommend our industry remain in Georgia if HB 481 becomes law.” Milano confirmed to BuzzFeed News she will honor the boycott now that the ban has been passed. Georgia has been a filming location for the hugely successful Marvel franchise and the AMC show "The Walking Dead." NBC News reached out both to Marvel and AMC Studios for comment on their reaction to the new law and the boycotts and did not receive a response. The Motion Picture Association of America said in a statement to Variety that it is monitoring the situation. “It is important to remember that similar legislation has been attempted in other states, and has either been enjoined by the courts or currently being challenged,” the association said.