What about GoT in N. Ireland? Sophie Turner blasted for refusal to work in Georgia over abortion law

Sophie Turner is refusing to work in US states which have restricted women’s access to abortions, however, many online have highlighted the rather convenient timing of the Game of Thrones actresses’ stance.

During publicity interviews for the X-Men: Dark Phoenix movie Turner and her co-star Jessica Chastain, 42, explained that they are among some 50 Hollywood A-listers including Alec Baldwin, Sean Penn, Alyssa Milano, Amy Schumer, Minnie Driver and Michael Sheen who signed letter boycotting working in US states like Georgia and Alabama, which recently passed stricter abortion laws.

“There's a letter going around that I signed saying I'm not going to work in any state that denies rights for women, for the LGBTQ community, for anyone. I'm not going to work in a state that discriminates,” Chastain, said to Sky News.

Georgia recently became the fourth state to introduce a so-called “heartbeat law” making abortion illegal at the point a foetus’ heart begins to beat, which can often happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Georgia is reportedly the third largest film production hub in the US and The Avengers movies, one of the biggest franchises in cinema history, were all predominantly produced in Georgia.

For its part, Alabama has banned abortion in all cases except where there is a threat to the life of the mother, in new rules signed into law by the state's female governor Kay Ivey.

However, many were quick to point out the opportune timing of Turner's decision to make a stand, right after top TV series Game of Thrones finished its final season.

The vast majority of Turner's scenes were filmed in Northern Ireland, where women face life imprisonment for aborting a pregnancy.

“There was a lot of work of Game Of Thrones there, so luckily we're moving on,” Turner said, when asked how she managed to work for an entire decade on arguably one of the most successful TV series in history in a part of the world with some of the most draconian abortion laws before taking such a strong position.

In 2017, almost 1,000 women travelled from Northern Ireland to England and Wales for abortions. Staggering numbers considering the region has a population of only 1.8 million.

Commenters online were quick to criticize the actress for the convenient timing of her newfound, hardline stance on working in states with abortion laws with whom they disagrees.

“Yet that didn't stop one of them working in Northern Ireland for the best part of 10 years. Now she's got a career and money behind her she can afford to take a different stand,” one commenter wrote. Others tagged Turner in posts to ask why she never spoke up before.

Some, however, cited Turner’s young age as a defense for her alleged hypocrisy.

“And what?? She was 13 then, she is 23 now. It has nothing to do with her “having money” but that she is a woman, who has lived enough of life now to be able to make decisions on what she will stand for and what she won't,” wrote one Twitter user.

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