A group of elite Hollywood celebrities from Alec Baldwin to Sarah Silverman have signed a letter written by Alyssa Milano threatening to boycott the state of Georgia over a proposed law banning abortions after a heartbeat is detected.
The bill, H.B. 481, which has not yet been passed by the Georgia House, seeks to outlaw abortions that take place after about six weeks.
If the bill does pass, some of Hollywood’s biggest stars are joining forces to crush the state under a boycott campaign.
Deadline reports:
With “Hollywood” the industry so often stretching well beyond “Hollywood” the town – especially given that stretching increasingly reaches Georgia – about 50 actors including Amy Schumer, Amber Tamblyn, Alec Baldwin, Don Cheadle, Rosie O’Donnell, Patton Oswalt, Sarah Silverman, Essence Atkins, Uzo Aduba, Gabrielle Union, Christina Applegate, Ben Stiller, Sean Penn, David Cross, Mia Farrow, Colin Hanks and Bradley Whitford has signed a letter written by Alyssa Milano in opposition of the state’s so-called “heartbeat” anti-abortion bill.
The letter was sent Thursday morning to Georgia House Speaker David Ralston and Georgia governor Brian Kemp, but has been circulating on social media all day.
The letter explicitly threatens Georgia lawmakers, reading, “We can’t imagine being elected officials who had to say to their constituents, ‘I enacted a law that was so evil, it chased billions of dollars out of our state’s economy.’ It’s not the most effective campaign slogan, but rest assured we’ll make it yours should it come to pass.”
“We want to stay in Georgia. We want to continue to support the wonderful people, businesses, and communities we have come to love in the Peach State,” the letter also states.
“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 H.B. 481 becomes law.”
Alyssa Milano, the celebrity activist who spearheaded this effort, said in a social media post that Hollywood should “stop feeding” Georgia’s economy if they passed the heartbeat bill.
The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAWest) also joined in on the effort, stating, “This draconian anti-choice law would discourage people in our industry from working in Georgia and could harm the state’s vibrant film and television industry.”
The boycott tactic has been used before against states that run afoul of Hollywood’s morality. In 2016, high-profile artists from Bruce Springsteen to Ringo Starr participated in a boycott effort against North Carolina to punish the state for passing a transgender “bathroom bill.”
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