Studios Pressured to Define ‘Clear, Detailed’ Policies on Abortion
By Movieguide® Staff
Hollywood studios received a second letter from entertainment talent regarding the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade and abortion rights for a woman in the industry.
The letter called the studio’s first response disappointing and sought increased “workplace safety” and “gender discrimination” prevention.
The coalition addressed the letter to each studio president of an original letter addressed to AMC Networks, Amazon Studios, Apple TV+, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Discovery.
“We appreciate your stated mutual concern for safeguarding employees’ health, safety, and privacy, but your assertions fall far short of a response sufficient to ensure workplace safety and prevent inevitable gender discrimination within our industry,” the second letter reads.
The letter listed a specific set of demands and expect a response by Labor Day.
The letter’s demands read:
Given that there are productions in abortion-hostile states right now, where protections are needed immediately, we request The Walt Disney Company’s answers regarding the following demands by Labor Day (11:59pm PST September 5, 2022):
- A clear, detailed, and uniform plan of action to ensure all employees and other production workers have access to lifesaving healthcare in the case of ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, placental abruption, sudden onset preeclampsia, etc. This plan should include a guarantee that all employees and other production workers in need of emergency reproductive healthcare can be transported expeditiously across state lines, to minimize the likelihood of injury or death.
- Policies and procedures that guarantee privacy around abortion access.
- Policies and procedures that guarantee job security and non-retaliation if a member of a production must take time off to travel for reproductive healthcare from states where abortion is criminalized.
- Guaranteed coverage for attorneys’ fees, court expenses, and fines for any employees or other production workers who are prosecuted for abortion-related crimes.
- The appointment of a Reproductive Health Care Officer for every production in an abortion-hostile location.
One showrunner made their motive clear, telling Variety: “It’s not going to be over in a couple of weeks. It took 50 years to undo Roe, and it’s going to take another 50 years potentially to get abortion rights back for American women across the board.”
Movieguide® previously reported on the coalition’s first letter and the studio’s response:
Prominent streamers like Netflix and Amazon Prime, along with Hollywood Studios, recently responded to a letter penned by actresses within the industry that called on Hollywood to support abortions.
The initial call to action came after the landmark Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which turned abortion laws over to individual states.
While many of these studios said they would pay for their employees to travel to receive abortions, workers complained that the studios did not clearly specify their support for abortions.
Part of the letter response read:
Thank you for your letter of July 28, 2022. We share your concerns around the health, safety and well-being of our dedicated employees and the people who support our productions. We believe they should have access to safe and effective health care, and their privacy should be protected.
We are pleased that our industry partners have quickly addressed this important issue and are committed to continuing to evaluate ways that we can best provide for our employees and workers who support our productions.
We want to assure you that we are individually focused on supporting the health, safety, well-being and privacy of our respective employees and those who support our productions as we continue to monitor this evolving situation. We look forward to working with you to continue to make great content for our audiences around the world.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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