Peter Chernin Aiming to Raise $15 Million to Fight Anti-Abortion Laws

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Peter Chernin has followed through on his promise to battle against anti-abortion legislation in Georgia and several other states with a pitch to raise $15 million.

Chernin made the plea in an email to top Hollywood executives that he sent recently as a followup to his May 15 announcement that Chernin Entertainment will keep its “Fear Street” trilogy and “P-Valley” TV series in Georgia while donating to oppose the state’s controversial “heartbeat” bill — which would ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and has been signed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.

“As a friend and colleague in the film and TV industry, I write to you with a sense of urgency about the recent attempts to eliminate the right to abortion in Georgia and many other states across the country,” Chernin wrote in the email last week, first reported by the The New York Times. “I am launching a campaign to contribute to the $15 million that is needed to fund the ACLU’s legal efforts to battle the national anti-abortion movement with a deadline of July 1.”

Chernin also said his family foundation and his Chernin Entertainment already have contributed $1 million for the cause.

“We have a moral responsibility to act immediately,” he wrote.

Hollywood studios broke their silence last week , threatening to leave Georgia if the new law goes into effect next year — despite the lucrative 30% tax credit offered productions that shoot in Georgia. At risk for the state is some $2.7 billion in direct spending, as well as 92,100 jobs and nearly $4.6 billion in total wages.