Detail-oriented support networks and safety hotlines need to be established to aid production workers who may need reproductive health care, notably abortions, panelists said during TheGrill’s virtual conversation on how Hollywood — and the nation at large — should mobilize in a post-Roe v. Wade world
In a panel held during ’s two-day business conference, TheGrill, moderator Ivy Kagan Bierman, chair of entertainment labor at Loeb & Loeb LLP; actress and activist Jodie Sweetin; writer and producer Nicole Jefferson Asher and Women in Film CEO Kirsten Schaffer discussed the industry’s next steps in protecting individuals’ rights, particularly in states hostile to the right.
“Women on set need a place and someone that they can call, a representative, much like we do with sexual harassment hotlines or other work problem hotlines. We need a place where women can call and say, ‘I’m in Georgia. I’m in Kentucky, and I am working, and I need an abortion or I’m having a miscarriage. What are the steps I take?’” Sweetin said, adding that an external organization should work in partnership with a given production to codify the logistical steps — such as time off and travel — an employee needs to be supported and safe regardless of their locale.
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s June decision to overturn the 1973 landmark ruling, sectors of Hollywood sprung to action. A group of 400 female, trans, and nonbinary showrunners led to creatives demanding that studios, streamers, networks and resources be provided for their workers. To raise $3 million, the coalition now includes 1,500 individuals who have joined forces with National Network of Abortion Funds. The Writers Guild of America has also joined the effort. Women in Film, for example, has been involved in the efforts. Compilated resourcesFor crew members.
Walker stated that she was disappointed with the industry’s response to her criticisms, despite some organizing efforts. “muted”) and nationwide reactions to the decision.
“It’s an unfolding situation, but I’m a little disappointed in the response throughout the country, actually. There hasn’t been the level of outrage and defiance that I think these laws require,”She added that the laws are about, “criminalizing women,”Also available: “stealing human rights.”
(Experts, politicians and other people have speculated that the Court would pursue other privacy-based protections including contraception and same-sex marriage.
Other than presenting Hollywood with a “workplace safety”Asher stated, “The panelists stressed the power of storytelling to destigmatize and authentically present abortion storylines and reproductive healthcare narratives in a post Roe environment.”
Schaffer stated that her organization has compiled a list films and series that include abortion stories after finding such depictions lacking in many of the other series.
“When it does happen, it’s often around the trauma. We aren’t seeing it normalized like a normal medical procedure,”She spoke. “We need more of that, in the same way that it needs to be easier to say the words: vagina, miscarriage, abortion … We have all of these ways that we disguise it, as opposed to just coming right out and talking about it. And that’s the cultural shift that the industry, that the creators are instrumental in galvanizing.”
About TheGrill
For over a decade, WrapPRO’s Grill event series has led the conversation on the convergence between entertainment, media and technology, bringing together newsmakers to debate the challenges and opportunities facing content in the digital age. Tailored to a C-suite and innovative, forward thinking attendees, the event delivers a unique series of curated discussions, industry panels and virtual networking activations that explore the ever-changing media landscape. Visit TheGrill for more informationthegrill.thewrap.com
TheGrill 2022 sponsors include Loeb & Loeb, City National Bank, Gracenote, Warner Bros. Discovery, Gerber Kawasaki. Sony Pictures. Take-Two Interactive. SAG-AFTRA. New York Festivals. Samba TV. IMAX.
