- The Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision looks to be on the verge of being overturned by the US Supreme Court.
- A growing number of businesses, including Netflix, Citi, Apple, Yelp, and Amazon, are supporting employees who want to get an abortion.
Since a draft decision in an abortion case in Mississippi that would overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked in May, everyone has been paying attention to the Supreme Court, whose decision is anticipated later this month, prior to the court’s summer break. The paper was authenticated by Chief Justice John Roberts, who stressed that it was not yet final despite Politico’s first allegation that it was.
“the authority to regulate abortion must be returned to the people and their elected representatives”, the Supreme Court’s leaked draught ruling on abortion rights states emphatically. In case that occurs, a handful of governments have already decided whether to safeguard the right to an abortion or severely limit it in most cases. 26 states are “certain or likely” to ban abortion if Roe is struck down, according to an analysis by the Guttmacher Institute. Additionally, 13 states have “trigger” laws, which restrict abortion and are intended to go into effect when the US Constitution no longer protects it.
In this era of socially conscious business decisions, some businesses have responded to the revelation with resounding remarks supporting a woman’s right to choose.
Early in May, on the same day of the data leak, Amazon declared it would pay up to $4,000 in travel expenses for staff members seeking medical care that was not available within 100 miles of their residences. Microsoft and Starbucks followed by announcing that they will also pay for travel expenses.
Here is a list of major corporations which have taken a stand against this erosion of reproductive rights.
NETFLIX
The streaming service confirmed to Insider that it will cover US employees’ and their dependents’ travel costs for procedures such as abortions, gender-affirming therapy, and cancer treatment under its health insurance. For each employee and/or their families, the lifetime allowance is $10,000.
STARBUCKS
“Regardless of where you live or what you believe, partners enrolled in Starbucks healthcare will now be offered reimbursement for eligible travel expenses when accessing abortion or gender-affirming procedures when those services are not available within 100 miles of a partner’s home,” Sara Kelly, acting EVP, Partner Resources, wrote in a letter to the company’s employees. “This benefit will also apply to dependents of partners enrolled in Starbucks healthcare.
The coffee giant, which has 240,000 employees nationwide, has announced an extension of its benefits program for employees, which will soon cover reimbursement for travel expenses to obtain an abortion or gender-affirming care that is not readily available locally. Dependents of employees who participate in corporate programs are also eligible for the benefit.
TESLA
Elon Musk, a billionaire and upcoming owner of Twitter, is funding employee abortions outside of their home states at his electric vehicle firm Tesla.
Tesla started offering an extended Safety Net program and health insurance option last year, which includes travel and accommodation assistance for anyone who might need to access healthcare services that aren’t available in their home state, according to the company’s 2021 Impact Report. That happened after the business moved to Texas, where, starting in August 2021, abortions beyond six weeks were illegal.
APPLE
During a town hall meeting in September, Apple CEO Tim Cook addressed concerns over Texas’ heartbeat law. A note from the firm shortly afterward described the legislation as “uniquely restricted” and stated that members of the employee health plan are covered when they go out of state for medical care if it is unavailable in their home state.
MICROSOFT
Regardless of where they reside in the United States, the corporation stated that it will assist workers and their registered dependents in obtaining essential health care, which already covers treatments like gender-affirming care and abortion. This support is being expanded to include reimbursement for travel expenses for these and other medical treatments where an employee’s home region has restricted access to care.
AMAZON
According to a statement obtained by Reuters, Amazon.com Inc, the second-largest private employer in the United States, informed its workforce on Monday that it would cover up to $4,000 in travel costs yearly for non-life-threatening medical procedures, including abortions.
SALESFORCE
Salesforce informed staff members via its internal message system shortly after the Texas measure was approved in September: “If you have concerns about access to reproductive healthcare in your state, Salesforce will help relocate you and members of your immediate family.”
YELP
If employees and their families need to go outside of the state for an abortion, the corporation would provide aid through its health plan.
“Overturning Roe v. Wade will jeopardize the human rights of millions of women who stand to lose the liberty to make decisions over their own bodies,” Yelp said in a statement on Tuesday. “Turning back the clock on the progress women have made over the past 50 years will have a seismic impact on our society and economy.”
BUMBLE
Bumble established a fund to assist groups defending the reproductive rights of Texans. According to a tweet from the $6.6 billion business Whitney Wolfe Herd created in 2014, it was “women-founded and women-led,” and it will “keep fighting against regressive laws like SB8.
MATCH
Following the “heartbeat” abortion restriction, Match Group CEO Shar Dubey established a fund for Texas-based workers seeking medical care outside of the state.
LYFT
Lyft declared it will pay the legal costs of drivers sued in either state for taking customers to abortion clinics in reaction to the “heartbeat” abortion laws that were recently approved in Oklahoma and Texas.
The ride-sharing firm said that it is also collaborating with healthcare partners to pay for women in Oklahoma and Texas who need out-of-state abortion services to go to airports and clinics.
LEVI’S
Employees of Levi’s, even part-time retail staff, are eligible to request compensation for costs incurred when traveling to another state for an abortion.
UBER
Soon after Lyft, Uber likewise said that it would pay for drivers’ legal expenses.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi referred to a clause that permits regular people to sue someone for “aiding and abetting” an illegal abortion and establishes a $10,000 “prize” for successful cases on Twitter, saying that drivers shouldn’t be placed in danger for getting customers where they want to go.
