Disney may stop filming in Georgia if anti-abortion legislation becomes law

Disney is the latest company to take a stand against the strict anti-abortion laws being passed throughout the United States.

With Netflix recently speaking out against the anti-abortion law legislators recently passed in Georgia, it was only a matter of time until other major media corporations followed suit. And Disney has done exactly that, with CEO Bob Iger making a statement that, if the anti-abortion goes into effect on January 1, the company will need to reconsider its presence in the state.

“I think many people who work for us will not want to work there, and we will have to heed their wishes in that regard,” Iger told Reuters during an interview on Wednesday evening. He also added that he doesn’t “see how it’s practical for [Disney] to continue to shoot there.”

That could be a big deal for Georgia, especially when it comes to Disney’s Marvel films. Both Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame were filmed in the state, and Disney making the decision to shoot future Marvel endeavors elsewhere could have a major impact on the more than 92,000 production jobs that currently live there.

Of course, Georgia’s abortion ban, which prevents a woman from terminating a pregnancy beyond the six-week mark (when a fetal heartbeat is detected), is one of many recent abortion bills signed over the past few months.

Alabama, Ohio, and Missouri recently passed similar legislation with even stricter penalties for those who seek and perform abortions. Georgia’s law at least makes exceptions for medical emergencies, incest, and rape — but that’s hardly a victory given the severe turnaround of women’s reproductive rights.

With more and more states proposing anti-abortion bills, action coming from major players like Disney is comforting. We the people may not be able to prevent legislators from passing laws like these, but huge companies tend to have more sway when it comes to such decisions. Still, Disney actually pulling out of Georgia would sadly have a greater impact on the people living there than those passing the laws — meaning that the move, while well intended, might actually hurt the same people it attempts to protect.

But it’s possible that Disney’s statement will have some influence on the future of abortion bans — if not in Georgia specifically, then in other states planning to sign similar bills into effect. Knowing that the businesses that shape their economies are opposed to what they’re doing may persuade them to rethink their war on women’s reproductive rights. At least, we hope it does.