American actress and #MeToo activist Alyssa Milano struck a chord on social media after she called on women to stop having sex with men until the US state of Georgia rescinds a strict new abortion law. "Our reproductive rights are being erased," Milano wrote on Twitter on Friday. "Join me by not having sex until we get bodily autonomy back." Nearly 40,000 people have liked the post since its publication. A group of film stars led by Milano, including Alec Baldwin, Don Cheadle, Ben Stiller, Mia Farrow and Amy Schumer, had threatened in late March to refuse to work in Georgia if it adopted the new abortion restrictions. The new law bans abortion as soon as a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which generally occurs in the sixth week of pregnancy. The state's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, signed the bill into law on Tuesday. "We need to understand how dire the situation is across the country," Milano told the Associated Press on Saturday. "It's reminding people that we have control over our own bodies and how we use them." She noted that women withholding sex to protest or advocate for political reform was not a new phenomenon. She cited how Iroquois women refused to have sex in the 1600s in order to stop unregulated warfare. Most recently, she said, Liberian women used a sex strike in 2003 to demand an end to a long-running civil war. Read more: How people are saying #MeToo around the world Watch video 01:56 'Are you going to murder your baby?' Film and TV companies boycott Georgia Since the bill was passed, several independent film and television production companies have pledged to boycott the state unless the legislation is rescinded. "I can't ask any female member of any film production with which I am involved to so marginalize themselves or compromise their inalienable authority over their own bodies," said David Simon, the creator of several successful TV series, including HBO's "The Wire." "Killer Films will no longer consider Georgia as a viable shooting location until this ridiculous law is overturned," the company's CEO, Christine Vachon, wrote on Twitter. Actor-producer Mark Duplass also supported the boycott. "Don't give your business to Georgia," he tweeted. Milano, who starred in "Charmed" and "Who's the Boss?," told Buzzfeed News that she was contractually required to complete another month of filming in Georgia for her series "Insatiable" on Netflix, but said she would leave the show if production was not shifted elsewhere for subsequent seasons. "I will fight tooth and nail to move 'Insatiable' to a state that will protect our rights," Milano said. "I will do everything in my power to get as many productions as possible, including 'Insatiable,' to move out of this state." Chris Ortman, a spokesman for the Motion Picture Association of America, which represents some of Hollywood's biggest film studios, including Paramount, Sony, Universal, Disney, Warner Bros. and Netflix, said the group would continue to "monitor developments." "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," Ortman said. Read more: What do Europeans consider sexual harassment? Cheap LA alternative Georgia is an attractive choice for filmmakers and production companies, and offers a number of incentives: a cheaper cost of living than in Los Angeles, a variety of landscapes and, since 2008, tax credits of up to 30%. Blockbuster films such as Marvel's "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War" were filmed in the state, and television series including "Stranger Things," "Ozark" and "The Walking Dead" have also been shot there. Last year, more than 450 productions were based in Georgia, with production companies spending $2.7 billion (€2.4 billion). The Writers Guild of America, which represents screenwriters, said the law would make Georgia "an inhospitable place for people who work in the film and television industry." law/amp (AFP, AP) Women's movements in Germany — a long history 'Songbird of the German women's movement' Author Louise Otto-Peters (1819-1895) is a pioneer of Germany's women's movements. At the age of 24, she called for more female participation in decision-making and co-founded with other suffragists the General German Women's Association (Allgemeiner Deutscher Frauenverein) in 1865. The activist also wrote poetry and novels, earning her the "songbird" nickname. Women's movements in Germany — a long history Helene Lange fought for equal opportunities Girls didn't have easy access to education in Germany at the end of the 19th century. The women's movement of the late 1890s aimed to emancipate girls and women through schooling. Teacher and feminist Helene Lange (1948-1930) was a leading figure in this movement; she also founded different women's suffrage groups. Women's movements in Germany — a long history Mother of the 'proletarian' women's movement Activist Clara Zetkin (1857-1933) fought for stronger representation of women in trade unions, women's suffrage and abortion rights — already aiming to abolish the controversial Paragraph 218 of German criminal law, which remained an activists' issue well into the 1970s. And finally, she also contributed to establishing International Women's Day. Women's movements in Germany — a long history Anita Augspurg and her women's group Anita Augspurg (left) and her associates didn't care much about social conventions. Augspurg lived together with her girlfriend, and they both wore men's cloths and short hair. As a lawyer, she fought for women's suffrage (granted in Germany in 1918) and the rights of prostitutes. Augspurg's association participated in forming international women's networks. Women's movements in Germany — a long history Backlash during the Nazi era The Nazis rejected emancipatory movements. Women were expected to stick to their traditional role as wives and mothers; the Nazi party promoted an image of women that had previously been dispelled by activists. In the eyes of the Nazis, women's rights groups had been created by Jews or Communists and needed to be suppressed. Women's movements in Germany — a long history 'German woman! Help too' For several years under Hitler, German women's fundamental role was to bear as many children as possible and raise them with Nazi values, in order to help maintain the "Aryan race." Women who were particularly successful in this regard were honored with the Cross of Honor of the German Mother ("Mutterkreuz"). However, this changed once the war started, as women were needed in the workforce. Women's movements in Germany — a long history Post-war reconstruction With the end of World War II in 1945, German women came to play an important role in the reconstruction of the war-torn country. They not only helped remove debris, but also made their voices heard in politics. New women's associations picked up the work that had been stalled in 1933, aiming to achieve equal rights for women. Women's movements in Germany — a long history The pill: a new form of freedom In 1961, birth control pills became available in Germany. At first, they were only prescribed to married women — officially against menstruation pains. But the pill quickly became widespread, and strongly contributed to the sexual emancipation of women in the late 1960s. Women's movements in Germany — a long history Feminists from the student movement The 1968 West German student movement fought not only to reform universities, but also against authoritarian structures and for sexual emancipation. However, the leadership of the movement was male-dominated; feminist activists went their own way. The banner on the right reads "Emancipation = Class conflict" — the influence of Marxist theory nevertheless remained strong for them too. Women's movements in Germany — a long history 1971: 'We had an abortion!' In Germany, abortion was a criminal offence until the 1970s. Following the sexual revolution of the late 60s, activists demanded the abolition of Paragraph 218 that outlaws abortion. In 1971, the magazine Stern published the names of 374 women admitting they had an abortion. The law was reformed in 1976, and several times since, legalizing abortions under certain terms. Women's movements in Germany — a long history An eloquent fighter: Alice Schwarzer A pioneer of Germany's feminist movement, Alice Schwarzer founded in 1977 the country's first feminist magazine, EMMA, which avoided all glamour and tackled political issues.<doc-sep>The actress Alyssa Milano is calling for a sex strike to protest Georgia’s restrictive new “fetal heartbeat” law. “Our reproductive rights are being erased," the actress tweeted on Saturday. "Until women have legal control over our own bodies we just cannot risk pregnancy. JOIN ME by not having sex until we get our bodily autonomy back. I’m calling for a @SexStrike. Pass it on.” By Saturday afternoon, #SexStrike and “Alyssa Milano” were two of Twitter's top 10 trending topics, and Milano’s tweet had close to 25,000 likes and nearly 9,000 retweets. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed into law this week one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation. It effectively prohibits abortion once a doctor can detect a fetal heartbeat, which can occur as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Like other abortion bans passed in recent months, the law faces legal challenges and could end up before the Supreme Court, where conservatives now hold a majority. Sex strikes have been in activists’ arsenals at least since ancient Greece. In Aristophanes’ comedy Lysistrata, women boycott sex as a way to pressure men to the peace table to end the Peloponnesian War. More recently, in 2003, Leymah Gbowee organized a sex strike in Liberia to help end her country’s civil war. She was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. On social media, critics chimed in from both sides of the political divide. Opponents of abortion rights sarcastically applauded Milano’s embrace of abstinence, which they argue can help prevent unwanted pregnancy, while some who share Milano’s pro-choice stance said the idea that sex is something that men want and women provide is old-fashioned and absurd. Milano is not the only celebrity to use star power to protest the new law. J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele, whose new HBO show “Lovecraft Country” will begin production in Georgia in several weeks, said that, while there were no immediate plans to move the show out of state, they would “stand shoulder to shoulder with the women of Georgia” and donate their fees to groups that are “leading the charge against this draconian law.” “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. Make no mistake, this is an attack aimed squarely and purposely at women,” the two said in a statement, adding that the donations would go to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia and Fair Fight Georgia, the group led by Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams. Georgia offers generous tax credits to attract TV productions, and in recent years the state has won a lot of business from the film and TV industry. “Avengers: Endgame,” “The Walking Dead” and the first season of Netflix’s “Queer Eye” were all filmed there. After releasing his statement, Peele retweeted a 2018 tweet from Stacey Abrams’ in which she asked “all of our entertainment industry friends” not to boycott Georgia as part of a well-meaning political protest. “The hard-working Georgians who serve on crews and make a living here are not to blame,” Abrams said at the time. The Writers Guild of America East and West released a statement in March condemning the "draconian anti-choice measure” and saying that, if passed, it would “would make Georgia an inhospitable place for those in the film and television industry to work, including our members."<doc-sep>NEW A vastly improved search engine helps you find the latest on companies, business leaders, and news more easily.<doc-sep>
Alyssa Milano urges sex strike in protest against Georgia abortion law Published 12 May 2019 image copyright AFP/Getty image caption Alyssa Milano's call for a sex strike drew an immediate backlash online Actress and #MeToo activist Alyssa Milano has urged women to take part in a "sex strike" to protest against a new abortion law in the state of Georgia. "Until women have legal control over our own bodies we just cannot risk pregnancy," she tweeted. Georgia is the latest state to enact legislation restricting abortion. Ms Milano's tweet divided opinion on social media, sparking a debate that led to the #SexStrike hashtag trending on Twitter in the US. The so-called "heartbeat" bill, which was signed by Governor Brian Kemp on Tuesday, is scheduled to come into effect on 1 January. Our reproductive rights are being erased. Until women have legal control over our own bodies we just cannot risk pregnancy. JOIN ME by not having sex until we get bodily autonomy back. I’m calling for a #SexStrike. Pass it on. pic.twitter.com/uOgN4FKwpg — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) May 11, 2019 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. View original tweet on Twitter What is the bill and why is it controversial? The law bans abortions as soon as a foetal heartbeat can be detected - which is at about six weeks into a pregnancy. Many women do not know they are pregnant by six weeks, with morning sickness usually starting after about nine weeks. However, the law is expected to face challenges in the courts. A federal judge blocked such a law in Kentucky which was scheduled to come into effect immediately as it could be unconstitutional, while Mississippi passed a six-week abortion law in March that is not due to take effect until July and is also facing challenges. Ohio passed a similarly restrictive law in 2016 which was vetoed by the governor. What about the 'sex strike'? Ms Milano tweeted out her call for action on Saturday, and both she and the hashtag #SexStrike were soon trending on Twitter. More than 35,000 people have liked her tweet, and it has been retweeted more than 12,000 times. Fellow actress Bette Midler tweeted in support of Ms Milano. I hope the #womenofGeorgia stop having sex with men until these indignities are overturned. — Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) May 11, 2019 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. View original tweet on Twitter But there was an immediate backlash online, both from those who support the new law and from those who criticised the idea that women only have sex to please men. "I appreciate the intent, but a #sexstrike is a bad and sexist idea," wrote one person on Twitter. "As if we provided sex as a reward to the worthy. It's denying women's pleasure". "Self-denial and abstinence for some sort of gain is the antithesis of a sexually empowered world," wrote another. In her defence, Ms Milano later tweeted a Quartz article about how sex strikes can work - prompting further criticism online. And the actors' boycott? During the abortion bill's passage, 50 actors proposed a boycott of film and television production in the state - including Ms Milano, Amy Schumer, Christina Applegate, Alec Baldwin and Sean Penn. "We want to stay in Georgia," the letter reads. "But we will not do so silently, and we will do everything in our power to move our industry to a safer state for women if [this] becomes law." To @BrianKempGA & Speaker Ralston: Attached, is an open letter signed by 50 actors against #HB481. On behalf of the undersigned--as people often called to work in GA or those of us contractually bound to work in GA--we hope you'll reconsider signing this bill. #HBIsBadForBusiness pic.twitter.com/DsOmAWYU2x — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) March 28, 2019 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. View original tweet on Twitter Other actors have also voiced their support, as have the heads of several independent production companies. However, some in the industry have not committed to the boycott and are waiting to see what comes of any potential legal challenges. Chris Ortman, a spokesman for the Motion Picture Association, issued a statement saying the group planned to "monitor developments". "Film and television production in Georgia supports more than 92,000 jobs and brings significant economic benefits to communities and families," he said.