1,500+ Hollywood Figures Have Banded Together To Demand Abortion Protections
An initial letter, which was sent to the studios on July 28, contained signatures from 400+ women, trans, and nonbinary TV writers — including major names like Mindy Kaling, Shonda Rhimes, and Issa Rae.
Hundreds of Hollywood creatives, from writers to directors, are taking a united stance to protect abortion access within their industry.
In a stunningly large display of collective solidarity and support for reproductive rights, more than 1,500 people employed in the film and television industry have signed open letters demanding major entertainment companies like Netflix, Amazon, Paramount, and others, establish clear protocols for employees working in anti-abortion states.
An initial letter, which was sent to the studios on July 28, contained signatures from 400+ women, trans, and nonbinary TV writers — including major names like Mindy Kaling, Shonda Rhimes, and Issa Rae. It demanded that, within 10 days, the industry’s leaders publish specific details about how they plan to provide criminal and civil legal protections to show business employees in need of abortion care, among other issues. The full text of the initial letter can be read here.
In the two weeks since then, 594 male TV writers and nearly 400 directors have also signed letters expressing solidarity on the topic. “We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with our writer/creator colleagues in demanding a coordinated and timely response from our employers regarding the imminent workplace-safety crisis created by the overturning of Roe v. Wade,” the statement from the directors reads. “Abortion access doesn’t only affect people who can become pregnant. It affects us all.”
Among the 400 + signees are, Alex Gibney, Alice Wu, Barry Jenkins, Judd Apatow, Lena Dunham, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Marc Webb, Matthew A. Cherry, and Stephen Daldry.
Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a public call for Hollywood film and television heavyweights to pull out of filming their productions in anti-abortion states like Georgia and Oklahoma. Newsom also endorsed a bill proposal that would extend California’s film and television production tax credit program by $1.6B over five more years, to entice the studios to do business in California instead.