Director Reed Morano Pulls New Show From Georgia Over Anti-Abortion Law

Director Reed Morano announced that she will no longer be filming her new Amazon show, The Power, in Georgia after the state signed a strict new anti-abortion law.

The Emmy-winning filmmaker took to her Instagram to reveal that she had decided to stop production of the show in the southern state as she did not agree with the new “heartbeat bill” signed by Governor Brian Kemp, which makes it illegal for women to abort past the six-week pregnancy mark, when the fetal heartbeat is usually detected.

“It felt wrong to us to go ahead and make our show and take money/tax credit from a state that is taking this stance on the abortion issue. We just couldn’t do it,” she wrote.

Morano was meant to travel to Georgia this week to scout locations for The Power, but she decided to cancel the trip and move the show’s production to a different state in protest against the controversial new law.

“We had no problem stopping the entire process instantly. There is no way we would ever bring our money to that state by shooting there,” the Handmaid’s Tale director told TIME magazine.

According to the publication, the new drama series, which is adapted from a Naomi Alderman novel, tells the story of young women who develop the ability to “release electrical jolts from their fingers” and electrocute people, which ultimately changes gender dynamics across the globe. Romano is working alongside independent production company Sister Pictures, and executive producers Jane Featherstone and Naomi De Pear also confirmed that the move was based on the new legislation passed in Georgia, as reported by Variety.

“[The decision] is a direct response to the signing of the ‘heartbeat bill.’ We feel we have to stand up for a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body, and so while this is not a decision we have taken lightly, we feel strongly that it is the right one at this point in time,” they said in a statement, before revealing that they hadn’t committed to any new locations just yet.

Romano is an outspoken feminist and has been vocal about her thoughts on the anti-abortion movement taking over the United States at the moment. And while she admits that she is saddened by the fact that her decision may take away work from people in the movie industry who are based in Georgia, she stands by it.

The award winner is not the only one in Hollywood protesting the anti-abortion law by opting not to shoot in George. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Saturday Night Live alum Kristen Wiig also decided to cancel the production of her new comedy film Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar in the southern state following the signing of the May 7 bill.