Netflix to 'rethink' investment in Georgia if abortion law takes effect
Netflix Inc said on Tuesday it would “rethink” its film and television production investment in Georgia if a new law severely restricting abortion in the state is implemented, but the streaming service will continue to work there for now.
Netflix, which films TV shows like crime drama “Ozark” and supernatural thriller “Stranger Things” in the U.S. state, said it would work with groups fighting the Georgia law through the U.S. courts, Reuters reports.
The company was the first major Hollywood producer to publicly comment on calls by some for an industry boycott of Georgia. The industry is responsible for more than 92,000 jobs in Georgia, according to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and some 455 film and TV shows were shot in the state in 2018, according to then-Governor Nathan Deal.
Netflix’s chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, said Netflix had many women working on productions in Georgia and their rights would be restricted by the new law.
“It’s why we will work with the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and others to fight it in court. Given the legislation has not yet been implemented, we’ll continue to film there - while also supporting partners and artists who choose not to. Should it ever come into effect, we’d rethink our entire investment in Georgia,” Sarandos said in a statement.
Georgia is one of eight states to pass anti-abortion legislation this year seeking to induce the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case that established a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy. The Georgia law comes into effect on Jan. 1.