David Simon, creator of acclaimed HBO series “The Wire” and “The Deuce,” has defended his decision not to film his latest series in Texas because of the state’s controversial abortion law.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Simon asserted, “This is not a political decision for us; we can’t ethically ask any female cast/crew to relocate to any state that requires them to forgo civil liberties. The end.”
That tweet came two days after Simon announced on Twitter that he was looking into alternative filming locations for his as-yet-unannounced upcoming series.
“As an employer, this is beyond politics,” Simon wrote on Monday. “I’m turning in scripts next month on an HBO non-fiction miniseries based on events in Texas, but I can’t and won’t ask female cast/crew to forgo civil liberties to film there. What else looks like Dallas/Ft. Worth?”
That announcement was met with a disapproving response from the Dallas Film & Creative Industries Office, which tweeted on Tuesday: “Laws of a state are not reflective of its entire population. Not bringing a production to Dallas (a big ‘D’) only serves to further disenfranchise those that live here. We need talent/crew/creatives to stay & vote, not get driven out by inability to make a living.”
Simon promptly fired back: “You misunderstand completely. My response is NOT rooted in any debate about political efficacy or the utility of any boycott.”
“My singular responsibility is to securing and maintaining the civil liberties of all those we employ during the course of a production,” he continued.
Simon is the latest celebrity to denounce the Texas law, which went into effect on Sept. 1 and bans abortions after six weeks, before many women are even aware they’re pregnant. Additionally, the bill allows anyone to bring a civil lawsuit in state court against a provider accused of violating the ban.
See Simon’s latest tweet below.