Alyssa Milano wants women to withhold sex to protest a number of bills aimed at restricting abortions. #SexStrike trended on social media as the actress’s odd idea was met with confusion, support, and mockery.
Milano, who was a prominent voice in the #MeToo movement, was responding to legislation passed in Georgia that bans abortion once a heartbeat can be detected, which is usually at six weeks. The law is seen as a near-ban on abortion, as many women don’t realize they are pregnant until the fifth week, meaning organizing an abortion before the cut-off would be very difficult.
A number of movie and TV production companies said they will cease operations in Georgia in response to the bill. The state has tax incentives that attract the film industry, and 17 of the year’s top 100 films were produced in Georgia, NBC reports.
Similar bills are being proposed in other states, with Alabama set to vote on a bill that would make abortion impossible once a fertilized egg is “in utero,” meaning when it has reached a woman’s uterus, which can happen two weeks before her period is due and long before she would be aware of being pregnant.
Mississippi and Ohio have recently passed ‘heartbeat’ laws of their own, which haven’t come into effect yet.
#SexStrike was trending on social media as people reacted to Milano’s idea and gave their own take on it. A number of people said they were happy for liberal women to be opting out of sex.
Georgia’s law won’t be enforced until 2020, and is likely to be challenged in court based on the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v Wade that found unduly restrictive state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional. Abortion laws in Iowa, North Dakota, and Kentucky have been stopped in the courts.
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