Dobbs and state trigger laws begin to bite
Film production begins leaving for states friendlier to women’s rights. The film “Eric Larue” was supposed to begin filming in Little Rock, Arkansas last week. Not gonna happen now, say filmmakers:
“Prior to the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v Wade, the film was scheduled to shoot in Arkansas. Since the Federal Court’s overturn, a decision in which Arkansas’ Attorney General has certified and upheld, Act 180 of 2019 has been triggered to go in effect, banning nearly all abortions in Arkansas, including cases of rape and incest. In response to this, the filmmakers have withdrawn production from the state and will now be shooting in and around Wilmington, North Carolina.
— ”Statement from the producers of “Eric LaRue”
The move was unconfirmed by the N.C. Film Office as of Friday.
So long as Democrats in North Carolina’s legislature can sustain Governor Roy Cooper’s veto, Cooper will see to it that abortion services remain legal in the Tar Heel State (Raleigh New and Observer):
The decision isn’t the first time productions have cited state policies on abortion in deciding where to film or produce their projects. In 2019, several major production companies, including Netflix and Disney, threatened to pull productions from Georgia after the state passed a controversial “heartbeat law” that banned abortion after a fetal heartbeat could be detected.
In 2016, North Carolina felt the sting as the free market responded to the state’s passage of House Bill 2, the infamous “bathroom bill.” Capitalists up and took their business elsewhere, as did the NCAA championship.
Several production companies, including Lionsgate, A&E and 21st Century Fox, announced they would either pull projects from the state or not consider the state for future projects due to the controversial legislation.
The law was repealed through a compromise bill in 2017, and major production companies, including Lionsgate, have since returned for filming in the state. Netflix, which chose in 2019 to film the now-hit show “Outer Banks,” which is set in North Carolina, in neighboring South Carolina, due to “remnants” of HB2, has also returned to the state.
Cooper signed Executive Order 263 on Tuesday to protect state access to abortion services:
“It directs Cabinet agencies to coordinate to protect reproductive health care services in North Carolina. As a result of this Order, Cabinet agencies cannot require a pregnant state employee to travel to a state where there are not protections for the health of the pregnant person. It directs the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to work with law enforcement to ensure enforcement of a state law that prohibits anyone from blocking access to a health care facility. The Order also provides protections against extradition for those seeking or providing reproductive health care services in North Carolina and prohibits Cabinet agencies from cooperating in investigations initiated by other states into anyone obtaining or providing reproductive health care that is legal North Carolina. This Order will help make sure patients get the care they need in North Carolina.”
Only so long as Republicans don’t win back their supermajorities in November. Even then, they should know by now: What the market giveth, the market taketh away.
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