Women’s rights campaigners are calling on major Hollywood studios to stop filming in Northern Ireland over its strict abortion laws.

It comes after Disney and Netflix threatened to withdraw from the US state of Georgia over plans to introduce strict new abortion laws.

A host of Hollywood actors, including Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner and her X-Men co-star Jessica Chastain have pledged to boycott the state if the ban is brought into force.

Ms Turner said she had worked in the North a lot during her time playing Sansa Stark in the HBO epic - but said "luckily we are moving on."

Disney has warned that it will be “very difficult” to keep shooting there if the ban comes into effect, while Netflix has threatened to ‘rethink its whole investment’ in the state.

A still featuring Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones

Northern Ireland

Following the comments, UK pro-choice campaign Abortion Rights warned that Northern Ireland’s abortion ban is harsher than that proposed in Georgia – with women facing life imprisonment for having a termination.

Chairwoman Kerry Abel said the studios should “consider Northern Ireland in the same light” as Georgia or Alabama.

“Regardless of where they live, women will always need safe, free, legal and local abortions,” she said.

“The hundreds of women who are forced to travel to England and Wales every year – and more that take abortion pills attest to that.

She said the North has “one of the strictest bans on abortion in the world” – with 65% of adults in the North, including DUP voters, wanting change.

The campaign said the studios had refused to comment on whether they would consider pulling their investment in the North.

Georgia

The proposed abortion ban in Georgia would make terminations illegal after the detection of a foetal heartbeat.

Doctors can detect a heartbeat after about six weeks, which is often before a woman becomes aware she is pregnant.

The legislation is set to be challenged in the courts; however, it will come into force on January 1st if the challenges are rejected.