Georgia Governor Will Sign Abortion Ban Despite Hollywood Outcry: 'We Value Life in Our State'
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp reaffirmed on Tuesday he plans to sign legislation banning abortions once a heartbeat is detected in the unborn child, despite boycott threats from Hollywood.
“We value life in our state,” the Republican told WSB’s Scott Slade on “Atlanta’s Morning News.”
Kemp further stated he is not concerned about the threatened boycott of Georgia by Hollywood personalities. “I don’t believe there will be dire consequences for supporting life in our state,” the governor said.
Actress Alyssa Milano has been leading the boycott charge. She stars in the Netflix dark comedy “Insatiable,” which films in Atlanta.
“We are going to do everything in our power to move our industry to a safer state for women if HB 481 becomes law,” Milano told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier this month.
Kemp, who was elected in November, said he will stay true to what he told Georgia’s voters he would do.
“I can’t govern because I’m worried about what someone in Hollywood thinks about me,” Kemp said. “I ran the last two years on these issues, and I got elected with the largest number of votes in the history of the state of Georgia, and I’m doing what I told people I would do.”
Asked by WSB when he anticipates signing the heartbeat bill, Kemp responded, “We really haven’t set a date for any of the bills to sign yet.”
“We’ve got a thorough review process that we go through on every bill just to make sure there’s nothing in there that we missed.”
Atlanta-based actress Ashley Bratcher, star of the new pro-life film “Unplanned,” praised Kemp for standing for life.
“Hey @Alyssa_Milano Mother to mother, actress to actress, and as a proud Georgian, I’ve got some things to say to you,” she tweeted. “I’m incredibly proud of my home state and @GovKemp for taking a stand in the fight for life amidst backlash and dubious threats.”
Hey @Alyssa_Milano Mother to mother, actress to actress, and as a proud Georgian, I’ve got some things to say to you. I’m incredibly proud of my home state and @GovKemp for taking a stand in the fight for life amidst backlash and dubious threats. https://t.co/dpwDFn6O70
— Ashley Bratcher (@_AshleyBratcher) March 28, 2019
In a linked letter to Milano, Bratcher questioned whether she is forgetting about the rights of “women within the womb.”
“With radical laws like the ones in New York and Vermont being passed, it’s more critical than ever that we are using our voices to fight for the rights of women,” the Georgian wrote. “One problem, you’re forgetting about the rights of women within the womb. If feminism is all about equal rights, then where are her rights?”
Bratcher recounted her own story of nearly being the victim of abortion. She also addressed Milano’s argument that Georgia is jeopardizing the $2.7 billion in direct spending in the state due to film production.
“We don’t believe in putting a price tag on the value of a human life,” Bratcher wrote. “Our brave leaders have stepped up to say enough is enough, we will no longer sit idly by as innocent lives are taken by the thousands each day.”
“You hail Georgia as the ‘Hollywood of the South’ but you should know, it’s pretty evident that Georgia has its own identity and that it won’t be bowing down to Hollywood anytime soon.”
Georgia was the top feature movie filming location in the world in 2017, but slipped to No. 2 in 2018 behind Canada, but ahead of the United Kingdom and California, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported.
In all, 455 TV and film productions qualified for the Peach State’s production tax credits during Fiscal Year 2018, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Among the many films shot at least in part in Georgia that were released into theaters in the past few years include “Black Panther,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” and “Game Night.”
TV shows in production the past year included CBS’s “MacGyver,” Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” FX’s “Atlanta” and OWN’s “Greenleaf.”
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