The group letter also demands that the entertainment industry ceases all donations to anti-abortion groups and candidates.
Major media companies are facing renewed pressure to condemn the Supreme Court decision overturning abortion rights.
A group of 411 television creators and showrunners, all of whom identify as female and transgender, sent a letter to nearly all of the top entertainment companies, including Netflix (NFLX) – Get Netflix Inc. Report, Disney (DIS) – Get The Walt Disney Company Report, Warner Bros. Discovery, (DISCA) – Get Warner Bros Discovery Inc Com Ser A Report NBC Universal (CMCSA) – Get Comcast Corporation Class A Common Stock Report, Apple (APPL) . The letter demands the companies they review their “current safety protocols and protection,” in light of Roe vs Wade being overturned.
After the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision earlier this summer, a number of states including Missouri, Texas and Georgia have either banned abortion outright, or severely limited it.
Companies such as Apple, Netflix and Starbucks (SBUX) – Get Starbucks Corporation Report have offered employees travel compensation if they need to travel out of state to get an abortion. But the letter is asking for much more than that, including detailed safety protocols in states where abortion is now illegal.
“Currently, any pregnant person working on one of your productions in states that have criminalized abortion does so at great risk,” the letter, states. “The purpose of this letter is to review your current safety protocols and protections on this vital matter to determine whether or not we will continue to work in these high risk environments.”
It also calls for the companies to provide criminal and civil protection for anyone helping an employee obtain an abortion, amongst other demands.
The letter’s signees also call on the entertainment companies to cease “all political donations to anti-abortion candidates and political action committees immediately.”
It was signed by Shonda Rhimes, Amy Schumer Issa Rae, Sara Bareilles, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Diablo Cody, Natasha Lyonne, Ava DuVernay, Carrie Brownstein, Lena Waithe among others.
According to Variety, the signees “are demanding written responses from the companies within 10 days of July 28, when the letters were sent out. The letter stopped short of saying what will happen if these companies don’t comply with the demands, but any potential boycotts from top talent would surely spell disaster.”
The letter was sent to Paramount (PARA) – Get Paramount Global Report, Lionsgate, Amazon (AMZN) – Get Amazon.com Inc. Report, AMC, Netflix (NFLX) – Get Netflix Inc. Report, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBC Universal, Apple.
