The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade. Now, legislatures in 26 states have pending laws indicating that they intend to ban abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. That could leave many women in need of abortion services hundreds or thousands of miles away from access to the procedure — unaffordable for many. Over the past year, in response to efforts in several states to effectively ban abortion, many companies have pledged to help employees who travel elsewhere to receive abortion care. Here are some of the most prominent companies offering expanded assistance to staff: AmazonIn May, the nation’s second-largest private employer said it would cover up to $4,000 per year in travel expenses for staff members seeking non-life-threatening medical care, including abortions if care isn’t available within 100 miles of where they live.TeslaThe electric vehicle maker said in its 2021 impact report that it will help provide travel and lodging “for those who may need to seek health care services that are unavailable in their home state” as part of its expanded Safety Net program and health insurance offering. Tesla’s headquarters moved to Texas in 2021, a state that has banned abortions after six weeks.CitigroupCitigroup in March became one of the largest U.S. companies to commit to covering employees’ travel costs if they need to leave their state to seek an abortion.”In response to changes in reproductive healthcare laws in certain states in the US, beginning in 2022 we provide travel benefits to facilitate access to adequate resources,” Citi said in a letter to shareholders as part of its annual proxy statement.Dick’s Sporting GoodsLaura Hobart, president and CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods, posted on LinkedIn on Friday that the company was “prepared to ensure that all of our teammates have consistent and safe access to the benefits we provide, regardless of the state in which they live.””In response to today’s ruling, we are announcing that if a state one of our teammates lives in restricts access to abortion, DICK’S Sporting Goods will provide up to $4,000 in travel expense reimbursement to travel to the nearest location where that care is legally available. This benefit will be provided to any teammate, spouse or dependent enrolled in our medical plan, along with one support person,” Hobart’s post says.DisneySources including CNBC and Reuters have obtained a copy of an internal memo sent to Disney employees, which outlines the company’s stance on providing reproductive care in light of the Supreme Court decision. The memo is signed by Paul Richardson, Disney’s chief human resources officer, and Pascale Thomas, vice president of enterprise benefits and well-being.“Our company remains committed to removing barriers and providing comprehensive access to quality and affordable care for all of our employees, cast members and their families, including family planning and reproductive care, no matter where they live,” Richardson and Thomas wrote in the memo.“In fact, we have processes in place so that an employee who may be unable to access care in one location has affordable coverage for receiving similar levels of care in another location,” the memo continues. This travel benefit covers medical situations related to cancer treatments, transplants, rare disease treatment and family planning (including pregnancy-related decisions).” BumbleThe dating app company, which is based in Austin, Texas, in September created a fund “supporting the reproductive rights of women and people across the gender spectrum who seek abortions in Texas.””Bumble is women-founded and women-led, and from day one we’ve stood up for the most vulnerable,” the company initially posted on Twitter. Relief funds will go to organizations that support women’s reproductive rights, including Fund Texas Choice, according to Bumble.Levi StraussThe clothing company called protecting access to reproductive care a critical business issue.”Efforts to further restrict or criminalize that access would have far-reaching consequences for the American workforce,” the company told CNN Business in a statement. “Given what is at stake, business leaders need to make their voices heard and act to protect the health and well-being of our employees. That means protecting reproductive rights.”Under Levi’s benefits plan, employees can be reimbursed for travel expenses for services not available in their home state, including abortion. Part-time staff and others who aren’t included in the company’s benefits plan are also eligible for reimbursement, it said.Lyft & UberThe ride-sharing rivals each announced in September that they would create legal defense funds to protect any drivers who might be sued under the Texas law for driving a person who receives an abortion.The law’s wording leaves open the possibility that a driver could be sued, possibly even if they didn’t know an abortion was happening, according to Elizabeth Sepper, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin.Lyft also said it would donate $1 million to Planned Parenthood “to ensure that transportation is never a barrier to healthcare access.”Match GroupThe Dallas-based company that owns Match.com and several dating apps including Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge, also announced in September a fund to ensure its employees and their dependents would be able to seek reproductive care outside of Texas.”The company generally does not take political stands unless it is relevant to our business,” said CEO Shar Dubey in a memo at the time. “But in this instance, I personally, as a woman in Texas, could not keep silent.”SalesforceSalesforce announced in September that it would assist its employees and their families if they want to leave Texas after the state passed the nation’s most restrictive abortion law.The cloud computing company told its 56,000 employees that they “stand with all of our women at Salesforce and everywhere.”Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff tweeted at the time: “Ohana if you want to move we’ll help you exit TX. Your choice.” (“Ohana” is the Hawaiian word for “family.”)YelpA representative for the San Francisco-based company said its employee health insurance already covers abortion care, but starting in May, Yelp pledged to cover travel expenses for any U.S. employees and their dependents who need to travel out of state to access abortion care.The benefit extends to staff and dependents affected by any current or future restrictions on reproductive rights.As a remote-first company with a distributed workforce, “it’s a priority for us to offer our employees consistent health care coverage, regardless of where they live,” a representative said.StarbucksStarbucks’ health care plan is offering reimbursement for travel for abortion or gender-affirming procedures when those are not available within 100 miles of an employee’s home. Dependents who use Starbucks’ medical plan are also eligible for these benefits.”Regardless of what the Supreme Court ends up deciding, we will always ensure our partners have access to quality healthcare,” wrote Sara Kelly, acting EVP of Partner Resources at the company, in a May 16 letter.Kelly added that the company’s benefits team is working on details of the new benefit, including timing.The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this report.
The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Now, legislatures in 26 states have pending laws indicating that they intend to ban abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. That could leave many women in need of abortion services hundreds or thousands of miles away from access to the procedure — unaffordable for many.
Advertisement
Over the past year, in response to efforts in several states to effectively ban abortion, many companies have pledged to help employees who travel elsewhere to receive abortion care.
Here are some of the most prominent companies offering expanded assistance to staff:
Amazon
In May, the nation’s second-largest private employer said it would cover up to $4,000 per year in travel expenses for staff members seeking non-life-threatening medical care, including abortions if care isn’t available within 100 miles of where they live.
Tesla
The electric vehicle maker said in its 2021 impact report that it will help provide travel and lodging “for those who may need to seek health care services that are unavailable in their home state” as part of its expanded Safety Net program and health insurance offering. Tesla’s headquarters moved to Texas in 2021, a state that has banned abortions after six weeks.
Citigroup
Citigroup in March became one of the largest U.S. companies to commit to covering employees’ travel costs if they need to leave their state to seek an abortion.
“In response to changes in reproductive healthcare laws in certain states in the US, beginning in 2022 we provide travel benefits to facilitate access to adequate resources,” Citi said in a letter to shareholders as part of its annual proxy statement.
Dick’s Sporting Goods
Laura Hobart, president and CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods, posted on LinkedIn on Friday that the company was “prepared to ensure that all of our teammates have consistent and safe access to the benefits we provide, regardless of the state in which they live.”
“In response to today’s ruling, we are announcing that if a state one of our teammates lives in restricts access to abortion, DICK’S Sporting Goods will provide up to $4,000 in travel expense reimbursement to travel to the nearest location where that care is legally available. This benefit will be provided to any teammate, spouse or dependent enrolled in our medical plan, along with one support person,” Hobart’s post says.
Disney
Sources including CNBC and Reuters have obtained a copy of an internal memo sent to Disney employees, which outlines the company’s stance on providing reproductive care in light of the Supreme Court decision.
The memo is signed by Paul Richardson, Disney’s chief human resources officer, and Pascale Thomas, vice president of enterprise benefits and well-being.
“Our company remains committed to removing barriers and providing comprehensive access to quality and affordable care for all of our employees, cast members and their families, including family planning and reproductive care, no matter where they live,” Richardson and Thomas wrote in the memo.
“In fact, we have processes in place so that an employee who may be unable to access care in one location has affordable coverage for receiving similar levels of care in another location,” the memo continues. This travel benefit covers medical situations related to cancer treatments, transplants, rare disease treatment and family planning (including pregnancy-related decisions).”
Bumble
The dating app company, which is based in Austin, Texas, in September created a fund “supporting the reproductive rights of women and people across the gender spectrum who seek abortions in Texas.”
“Bumble is women-founded and women-led, and from day one we’ve stood up for the most vulnerable,” the company initially posted on Twitter.
Relief funds will go to organizations that support women’s reproductive rights, including Fund Texas Choice, according to Bumble.
Levi Strauss
The clothing company called protecting access to reproductive care a critical business issue.
“Efforts to further restrict or criminalize that access would have far-reaching consequences for the American workforce,” the company told CNN Business in a statement. “Given what is at stake, business leaders need to make their voices heard and act to protect the health and well-being of our employees. That means protecting reproductive rights.”
Under Levi’s benefits plan, employees can be reimbursed for travel expenses for services not available in their home state, including abortion. Part-time staff and others who aren’t included in the company’s benefits plan are also eligible for reimbursement, it said.
Lyft & Uber
The ride-sharing rivals each announced in September that they would create legal defense funds to protect any drivers who might be sued under the Texas law for driving a person who receives an abortion.
The law’s wording leaves open the possibility that a driver could be sued, possibly even if they didn’t know an abortion was happening, according to Elizabeth Sepper, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
Lyft also said it would donate $1 million to Planned Parenthood “to ensure that transportation is never a barrier to healthcare access.”
Match Group
The Dallas-based company that owns Match.com and several dating apps including Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge, also announced in September a fund to ensure its employees and their dependents would be able to seek reproductive care outside of Texas.
“The company generally does not take political stands unless it is relevant to our business,” said CEO Shar Dubey in a memo at the time. “But in this instance, I personally, as a woman in Texas, could not keep silent.”
Salesforce
Salesforce announced in September that it would assist its employees and their families if they want to leave Texas after the state passed the nation’s most restrictive abortion law.
The cloud computing company told its 56,000 employees that they “stand with all of our women at Salesforce and everywhere.”
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff tweeted at the time: “Ohana if you want to move we’ll help you exit TX. Your choice.” (“Ohana” is the Hawaiian word for “family.”)
Yelp
A representative for the San Francisco-based company said its employee health insurance already covers abortion care, but starting in May, Yelp pledged to cover travel expenses for any U.S. employees and their dependents who need to travel out of state to access abortion care.
The benefit extends to staff and dependents affected by any current or future restrictions on reproductive rights.
As a remote-first company with a distributed workforce, “it’s a priority for us to offer our employees consistent health care coverage, regardless of where they live,” a representative said.
Starbucks
Starbucks’ health care plan is offering reimbursement for travel for abortion or gender-affirming procedures when those are not available within 100 miles of an employee’s home. Dependents who use Starbucks’ medical plan are also eligible for these benefits.
“Regardless of what the Supreme Court ends up deciding, we will always ensure our partners have access to quality healthcare,” wrote Sara Kelly, acting EVP of Partner Resources at the company, in a May 16 letter.
Kelly added that the company’s benefits team is working on details of the new benefit, including timing.
The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this report.
