Jordan Peele, J.J. Abrams plan to fight the “heartbeat bill” while still filming in Georgia

Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams still plan to film in Georgia, despite the passing of a controversial abortion law, but say they’ll donate their fees to fight it.

In Georgia, residents are anxiously watching to see how Hollywood TV and film productions will respond now that the controversial “heartbeat bill” has been signed by Governor Brian Kemp.

So far, five production companies have decided not to film in Georgia to protest the bill. Actress and activist Alyssa Milano also called for actors to boycott productions in the state. Milano will do that herself, as she’s refusing to work on the Netflix series Insatiable if it continues to film in Georgia.

Directors J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele are taking a different approach. The two are slated to film a new series, Lovecraft Country, for HBO in Georgia and they say that the filming will go forward. However, both have said that they will donate “100 percent of their episodic fees” to Fair Fight Georgia and the Georgia chapter of the ACLU who are fighting the law in court.

In a joint statement Abrams and Peele said:

"“In a few weeks we start shooting our new show, Lovecraft Country and will do so standing shoulder to shoulder with the women of Georgia.  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. We stand with Stacey Abrams and the hardworking people of Georgia, and will donate 100% of our respective episodic fees for this season to two organizations leading the charge against this draconian law:  the ACLU of Georgia and Fair Fight Georgia.  We encourage those who are able to funnel any and all resources to these organizations.”"

Georgia has been called the Hollywood of the South because of the many productions that film in the state, including Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame. High profile television series also film in the state, including The Walking Dead, Stranger Things, and Ozark.

The Walking Dead recently started filming season 10 in Senoia, Georgia. There has been no statement from any of those shows about any changes in production.

What exactly is Georgia’s “heartbeat bill”

Georgia’s “heartbeat bill” bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which may be as early as six weeks. Many women don’t know they are pregnant until eight weeks or later. At six weeks pregnant, most women would have only missed one period.

The bill is full of troubling language, and opens up a host of terrifying situations including women being interrogated and prosecuted for having a miscarriage. The language in the bill is open to wide interpretation and could lead to criminalizing and policing the behavior of women. The Georgia bill also makes it illegal for women to seek an abortion in another state where the procedure is legal.

How allies in Hollywood can protest effectively

The productions that film in Georgia bring in a huge amount of money to the state. In 2018, 455 shows and films were produced in Georgia, which brought in over $2 billion dollars in direct spending to the state’s economy. Added to that are the jobs created in Georgia by these productions and the economical boom to local stores, housing markets, and other areas where those dollars are spent.

While it’s certainly understandable and admirable that production companies want to support the women of Georgia by stopping production altogether, it isn’t an effective way to protest because it hurts the people who are the most dependent on those dollars.

The bill has already been signed, so the time to put economic pressure on the lawmakers who passed the bill is over. Pulling out of Georgia now won’t stop this controversial bill from becoming law. It will hurt hardworking people who have no say in the legislative process and can’t change the existence of the bill. Overall, hurting the people of Georgia economically isn’t an effective protest.

The best way to show solidarity for the women of Georgia is what J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele are doing. They are continuing to give the people of Georgia the jobs and income that they need but donating money to the groups who are going to fight this law in court.

The battle for women’s rights in Georgia will take place in the courtroom. The best thing that anyone can do now is to donate money to ACLU Georgia and Fair Fight Georgia, the legal experts who have the knowledge and skills to fight for women’s rights in court.