You can catch Elizabeth Banks fighting for human rights around the globe as Bosley in the “Charlie’s Angels” reboot in theaters next month. Offscreen, the multi-hyphenate is fighting for abortion rights in the U.S. and beyond. Banks has been named the chair of the Center for Reproductive Rights’ new Creative Council. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she and her fellow founding members, such as Busy Philipps (“Busy Tonight”) and Aja Naomi King (“How to Get Away With Murder”), will work together to create, share, and support stories that “destigmatize abortion.”
The Center raised about $2 million for the Creative Council at its annual gala on Monday.
The Creative Council will use its high-profile supporters’ platforms to educate and advocate for reproductive rights. June Medical Services, LLC v. Gee, the Supreme Court case challenging a Louisiana law that shuts down abortion clinics, will also be a focus.
“I believe that women’s equality begins with our fundamental human rights over bodily autonomy,” Banks said. “So I feel like this is baseline for female equality in the world, deciding when and with whom to have children.”
Banks pointed to Philipps’ #YouKnowMe campaign with the ACLU and the Hulu dramedy “Shrill” as examples of how narratives can inspire and shape political discourse. The former emphasizes that all kinds of women, one in four, actually, have had abortions. “Shrill,” which Banks exec produces, sees its protagonist (Aidy Bryant) getting an abortion in the first episode.
“Reproductive rights in media is a really important tool for keeping the issues that we are all facing at the forefront,” Banks emphasized. “As someone who struggled with fertility issues and made embryos, I think there’s such an interesting dialogue to be had about how abortion care is part of a larger package of reproductive care that is also about creating wonderful families and access to family care.” She added, “It’s all very slippery slope and that’s what we’re trying to get across.”
The Creative Council also counts Amy Brenneman (“Judging Amy”), Lisa Edelstein (“The Kominsky Method”), playwright Sarah Jones (“Bridge & Tunnel”), and former Glamour editor-in-chief Cindi Leive among its founders.
“I love these women so much…. We looked for women who were already sympathetic to the cause or who had already participated in some way in a campaign for the Center,” Banks revealed. “There’s a real power to having people who have platforms be able to elevate the critical role that the Center is playing in protecting our freedoms. My hope is that all of the members of the Council take seriously this responsibility to mention the Center’s work, to advocate for the Center whenever they can…and add reproductive rights stories to the work that they’re already doing.”
“The Center for Reproductive Rights is proud to partner with these powerful artists to protect and expand reproductive rights access across the globe through our work in the courts, in public policy, and before human rights bodies,” stated Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. “We know the impact these artists can have in advocating for change and reaching new audiences to raise awareness about reproductive rights issues, including maternal health, abortion care, contraception, and assisted reproduction.”
Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the U.S., has been under attack since its 1973 decision, but has been particularly vulnerable recently. States have been rolling out abortion bans and anti-choice legislation galore this year — and June Medical Services, LLC v. Gee could dismantle Roe v. Wade. Banks and the Center are not the only ones fighting back: Director Reed Morano and Kristen Wiig have both pulled projects from Georgia in protest of its ban. Alyssa Milano created a guide that breaks down the threats posed to safe and legal abortion state by state.
Banks directed “Charlie’s Angels,” out November 15. She made her feature directorial debut with box office smash “Pitch Perfect 2.” The “Hunger Games” actress is exec producing “DC Super Hero High,” one of the many projects in the works at HBO Max. Next, Banks will appear in “Mrs. America,” an FX limited series about anti-ERA activist Phyllis Schlafly, starring Cate Blanchett.
