- Opinion
- 31 May 19
With Disney and Netflix threatening to boycott the state of Georgia, in the US, over their recent anti-abortion laws, Abortion Rights campaigners are now calling for the same action to be taken in Northern Ireland.
With news of Netflix contemplating their withdrawal from the state of Georgia over plans to introduce a strict abortion ban reaching the ears of those living under the archaic confines of the Northern Irish abortion laws, campaigners are calling for two major Hollywood studios to take action.
Ted Sarandos, the chief content officer of Netflix, has said that the streaming giant will be majorly rethinking its investment in the state of Georgia, stating that they have “many women working on productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions of others, will be severely restricted by this law.”
When asked whether they would also withdraw their investments in Northern Ireland, where laws are much harsher on those seeking abortion, Netlix declined to comment. That situation may, however, change.
Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner (pictured above) and her X-Men co-star Jessica Chastain revealed to Sky News that their names are among those on a March letter, written to oppose Georgia’s abortion ban. Later in the interview, Turner addressed the situation in Northern Ireland, which is where a large portion of Game of Thrones was filmed, stating, “Luckily we’re moving on.” For teh film production business in Northern Ireland, it strikes an ominous note.
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Speaking on the state of abortion law in the North, Chair of Abortion Rights, Kerry Abel, has said, “We know that despite Northern Ireland having one of the strictest bans on abortion in the world, where women face life in prison – stricter than Georgia and Alabama – 65% of adults in NI think the law should change and that includes DUP voters.”
“Regardless of where they live, women will always need safe, free, legal and local abortions”, Abel concludes. And so say all of us...