'Powerhouse' Alyssa Milano shuts down Georgia politician over abortion ban
Days after getting heat for defending Joe Biden over claims he inappropriately touched women, Alyssa Milano is once again making waves.
Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo’s newsletter.
The actress and activist has been in Georgia this week to protest HB 481, also known as the “Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act,” which would ban abortion in the state once a fetal heartbeat has been detected, as well as recognize fetuses as natural persons for the purposes of state income tax deductions and population determinations.
Milano has been among the celebrities who protesting the bill, which is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp this month. As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, the star, who films the Netflix show Insatiable in Georgia, traveled to Atlanta on Tuesday alongside 30 film workers employed in the state to hand-deliver a letter to the governor.
A post shared by Alyssa Milano (@milano_alyssa) on Apr 3, 2019 at 10:16am PDT
I will be supporting the women of Georgia as we stand in solidarity for all women’s rights and hand deliver the below letter to Brian Kemp at 5pm EST this evening. I will broadcast live here on Twitter. #WeWontGoBack pic.twitter.com/gcZqlrW2kB
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) April 2, 2019
Signed by the likes of Natalie Portman, Mark Ruffalo, Sarah Silverman and Rosie O’Donnell, the letter to Kemp has celebrities vowing to “do everything in our power to move our industry to a safer state for women if HB 481 becomes law.” The state hosts numerous film and TV productions, but Hollywood players are threatening to boycott and have their sets moved over the controversial bill.
Though the letter’s delivery didn’t go according to plan — Milano noted that the residents who joined her weren’t allowed to enter Kemp’s office — it did get her some attention thanks to a run-in with Republican Georgia state representative Dominic LaRiccia. LaRiccia echoed a frequent criticism Milano has faced, that she doesn’t have a say because she isn’t a Georgia resident. (The former child star has argued in the past that she has lived and rented property in the state during filming.)
Footage of the encounter shows Milano addressing her rights to speak out before brushing off the politician and turning to face the cameras around her.
“These are the men who are voting on what goes on inside my uterus,” she said, gesturing to LaRiccia. “This guy right here. This guy. Have a great day,” she said to him.
Watch Alyssa Milano call out a GOP State Rep in Georgia to his face while in Gov Kemp’s office: “These are the men who are voting on what goes on inside my uterus. This guy right here. This guy. Have a great day,” she said to him. pic.twitter.com/RAS0KHoya7
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) April 3, 2019
She flashes LaRiccia a tight grin as she heads out of Kemp’s office, while a camerawoman approaches the GOP lawmaker and says, “You know the Koch brothers don’t live here either,” a reference to the wealthy conservatives who have funded anti-abortion initiatives.
Now both women are winning praise.
I love Alyssa Milano. She’s beautiful, smart and gutsy. She won’t be bullied.👍🏻??😎
— Calvin Swine (@CalvinSwine905) April 3, 2019
Love this! @Alyssa_Milano is a powerhouse!
— MΞGAN KΞLLΞY HALL (@MeganKelleyHall) April 3, 2019
That woman cracked me up! I wanna know her name and give her a high five! 🙌
— Matthew Verkamp (@MatthewVerkamp) April 4, 2019
THAT was the best part!!!
— Alison Monson (@AlisonM4444) April 3, 2019
I’m right by your side.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) April 3, 2019
Love you.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) April 3, 2019
Way to tell off that Georgia dirt bag.
— Dean Pennypacker (@MrDeanoP) April 3, 2019
But not everyone has applauded Milano’s efforts to stop the bill from becoming law. Ashley Bratcher, star of the anti-abortion film Unplanned and a Georgia native, called Milano’s Deadline op-ed decrying HB 481 “sad.”
Kemp, meanwhile, seems unlikely to agree to her calls to veto the bill.
“I can’t govern because I’m worried about what someone in Hollywood thinks about me,” Kemp told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.