Alyssa Milano calls for women to join sex strike over Republican abortion laws

Actor and activist Alyssa Milano has responded to Georgia’s latest anti-abortion legislation by making an unconventional suggestion.

In a tweet yesterday, she said that women should stop having sex with men until their reproductive rights stopped being attacked, and used the hashtag #SexStrike.

Earlier this week the state of Georgia signed the "heartbeat bill" into legislation, which banned abortion after six weeks – before most people even know they're pregnant – and could jail women for life if they have an abortion any later than that.

Milano's suggestion has provoked mixed reactions. Some pro-choice activists like actor Bette Midler and human rights lawyer Kate Kelly seemed to support the proposal, but a number of anti-abortion campaigners seemed pleased with it too, which presumably wasn't the intention.

Kay Fellows, who works at anti-abortion group Human Defense Initiative thanked Milano for "doing our work for us". Lila Rose, president of Live Action which is dedicated to "ending abortion" said she's "totally with" Milano, and that no one should have sex unless they're willing to raise a child.

Others argued that Milano's proposal is detrimental to feminist principles, as it suggests that sex is a purely transactional process which women provide for men.

Others pointed out that Milano's sex strike excludes survivors of rape and sexual violence, as well as LGBT+ people who are not in a relationship with an opposite-sex partner but are still affected by these laws.

Many in the entertainment industry have been vocal about their opposition to this bill, and 50 actors have supported the boycott, which would see films and TV no longer being filmed in the state.

The proposal was signed by Milano, as well as Amy Schumer, Christina Applegate, Alec Baldwin and Sean Penn, among others. It said:

We will do everything in our power to move our industry to a safer state for women if [this] becomes law.

Milano stars in the Netflix show Insatiable, which films in Georgia. She has stated that she will not return for a third season if the law stays in place.

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