LifeSite News launched a new petition to “dump Netflix over their attack on unborn babies.”
The petition encourages supporters to “Dump Netflix…and cancel your current Netflix subscription.” It goes on to state that “Netflix declared war on unborn babies and on the pro life-movement.”
“Make no mistake: Netflix declared war on unborn babies and on the pro-life movementwhen their Chief Content Officer, Ted Sarandos, told Fox News that if the heartbeat law was to take effect, “we’d rethink our entire investment in Georgia,” and in the meantime “will work with the ACLU and others to fight it in court.
Those are fighting words, and as pro-lifers, we simply cannot continue to support huge corporations, like Netflix, which use monies gained from their clients’ subscriptions, to defend and promote abortion…to work (lock, stock and barrel) against the unborn and the pro-life movement.”
They point to pro-family activist Shane Vander Hart who noted, “I don’t care if a company is neutral on an issue I care about, but I do care when they work against me.”
The actual letter will be sent to Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. It reads in full:
“To: Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, Ted Sarandos
We, the undersigned, members of the pro-life movement, are outraged by Netflix’s decision to “work with the ACLU,” to fight against Georgia’s newly-signed Heartbeat Law.
This is a disgusting display of corporate arrogance, and utter disregard for the beliefs of those who currently subscribe to, or could subscribe to your services.
But, abortion is a red-line. And, Netflix crossed it by setting out your intentions to work against Life.
It is, therefore, my intention not to use your services from this point forward.
Should you change this decision and adopt a neutral position on abortion, I may consider using Netflix’s services in the future.”
The petition has been signed by over 15,000 people so far and already reached its initial goal.
Netflix’s Ted Sarandos announced last week the company would “work with the ACLU and others to fight” the recent heartbeat bill signed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. Sarandos noted that if the bill “ever come into effect, we’d rethink our entire investment in Georgia.” He did note, “Given the legislation has not yet been implemented, we’ll continue to film there, while also supporting partners and artists who choose not to.”
Sarandos and Netflix were not the only major studio to make such an announcement. Disney CEO Bob Iger stated, “Well, I think if it becomes law it will be very difficult to produce there. I rather doubg we will.”
CBS and Showtime released a statement through Variety. It read:
“Creative voices across our industry have expressed strong concern about the recently signed bill in Georgia. The ability to attract the best talent is the first step in producing great entertainment content and is always an important consideration in where we film any series. We are monitoring the legislative and legal developments in Georgia with the full expectation that the process in the courts will play out for some time. For now, we will continue producing our series based there that have production orders for next season. If the law takes effect in Georgia or elsewhere, these may not be viable locations for our future production.”
WarnerMedia, the parent company of Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment issued their own statement:
“We operate and produce work in many states and within several countries at any given time and while that doesn’t mean we agree with every position taken by a state or a country and their leaders, we do respect due process. We will watch the situation closely and if the new law holds we will reconsider Georgia as the home to any new productions. As is always the case, we will work closely with our production partners and talent to determine how and where to shoot any given project.”
NBCUniversal also made a similar statement.
“We fully expect that the heartbeat bills and similar laws in various states will face serious legal challenges and will not go into effect while the process proceeds in court. If any of these laws are upheld, it would strongly impact our decision-making on where we produce our content in the future.”
AMC Networks, the home of The Walking Dead, issued their own statement:
“If this highly restrictive legislation goes into effect, we will reevaluate our activity in Georgia. Similar bills – some even more restrictive – have passed in multiple states and have been challenged. This is likely to be a long and complicated fight and we are watching it all very closely.”
These statements came after actress Alyssa Milano campaigned against Georgia’s heartbeat bill and called for Hollywood studios to boycott the entire state. Her letter was signed by a number of Hollywood actors including Avengers: Endgame actors Don Cheadle, Mark Ruffalo, and Tessa Thompson.
It also appears that X-Men: Dark Phoenix actresses Sophie Turner and Jessica Chastain also signed onto the leader. Turner’s call to boycott Georgia was challenged given she filmed Game of Thrones in Northern Ireland which has very restrictive laws on abortion.
Hollywood does a ton of business in Georgia. Atlanta-based AJC reports in Fiscal Year 2018 there were 455 productions that did “$2.7 billion in direct spending.” They noted this was the most productions “since the tax credits were passed in 2008.”
Georgia provides film and TV productions with up to a 30 percent tax credit if they spend at least $500,000 in the state.
The Walking Dead, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Avengers: Endgame, Ozark, and more all have or had a production home in Georgia.
What do you make of this petition from LifeSite News? Do you plan on signing it? Do you think it might affect these major studios’ position on the matter?