Amazon has become the newest corporation to cover employees’ travel expenses to seek abortion care. The company told employees it would pay up to $ 4,000 a year in travel expenses for medical treatments, including abortions, according to a Reuters report. An Amazon spokesman confirmed the nature of the Reuters report to CNN Business. The company’s announcement reflected similar moves by Citigroup, Yelp, Uber and Lyft to help employees circumvent Republican-led efforts in several states to effectively ban abortions. And that comes just hours after a Politico bomb report showing that the Supreme Court is ready to overturn Rowe against Wade.
CNN did not independently confirm the Politico report, and a Supreme Court spokesman declined to comment.
If Roe is repealed, legislators in 26 states have pending laws that indicate they intend to ban abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. This can leave many women in need of abortion services hundreds or thousands of miles from accessing the procedure – unbearable for many.
Corporate America is increasingly being pulled by political parties on the issue of abortion in response to pressure from investors, clients and employees. Companies are also struggling to attract and retain talent and are concerned about the impact that these states’ anti-abortion laws could have on their workers. Leaders also learn how difficult it can be to create a political message without angering one side or the other. Disney, in particular, is struggling with the political consequences of going against Florida’s so-called “Don’t say gay” law. CEO Bob Chapek initially failed to condemn the law before returning and apologizing to staff and fans who were outraged by the law. After Disney publicly opposed the law and promised to help repeal it, state lawmakers passed legislation to remove the company’s long-standing status as a self-governing special area. Last year, as several states imposed legislation that would make it difficult for some citizens to vote, hundreds of top executives, including Amazon, Google, BlackRock and Starbucks, signed a statement opposing the bills.
Here are some of the most well-known companies offering expanded staff assistance in states restricting abortion care.
Amazon
The country’s second-largest private employer said it would cover up to $ 4,000 a year in travel expenses for staff members seeking non-life-threatening medical care, including abortions if care is not provided within 100 miles of where they live.
Citigroup
In March, Citigroup became one of the largest companies in the United States, committed to covering employees’ travel expenses if they had to leave their state to have an abortion.
“In response to changes in reproductive health laws in some U.S. states starting in 2022, we are providing travel benefits to facilitate access to adequate resources,” Citi said in a letter to shareholders as part of its annual statement. proxy.
Bumble
The dating company, based in Austin, Texas, set up a fund in September to “support the reproductive rights of women and people of all genders seeking abortion in Texas.”
“Bumble is based on women and is led by women, and from day one we stand up for the most vulnerable. We will continue to fight against regressive laws like # SB8, “the company said on Twitter during the week of legislation, which amounted to an almost complete ban on abortions in the state, which came into force last fall.
The funds will go to organizations that support women’s reproductive rights, including the Texas Choice Fund, according to Bumble.
Levi Strauss
The apparel company called protecting access to reproductive care a critical business issue.
“Efforts to further restrict or criminalize this access would have far-reaching consequences for the U.S. workforce,” the company said in a statement to CNN Business. “Given what is at stake, business leaders must 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 employees and others not included in the company’s compensation plan are also entitled to reimbursement, it said.
Lift & Uber
Each of the rivals in the shared trip announced in September that they would set up redress funds to protect all drivers who could be prosecuted under Texas law for driving an abortion person.
The wording of the law leaves open the possibility for a driver to be tried, probably even if he does not know that an abortion is taking place, according to Elizabeth Seper, 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 access to health care.”
Group matches
The Dallas-based company, which owns Match.com and several dating apps, including Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge, also announced a fund in September to ensure employees and their dependents can seek reproductive care outside of Texas.
“The company does not usually take political positions unless it is important to our business,” CEO Shar Duby said in a note at the time. “But in this case, I personally, as a woman in Texas, could not remain silent.”
Salesforce
Salesforce announced in September that it would help its employees and their families if they want to leave Texas after the state passed the country’s most restrictive abortion law.
The cloud computing company told its 56,000 employees that “they stand with all our women in Salesforce and everywhere.”
Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff tweeted at the time: “Ohana, if you want to move, we’ll help you get out of Texas. Your choice”. (Ohana is the Hawaiian word for “family.”)
Elp
A spokesman for the San Francisco-based company said its employees’ health insurance already covered abortion care, but from May Yelp would cover travel expenses for all U.S. employees and their dependents who must travel outside the state to have access. to care for abortion.
Compensation extends to staff and dependents affected by current or future restrictions on reproductive rights.
As the first remote company with a distributed workforce, “it is a priority for us to offer our employees permanent health coverage, no matter where they live,” said a spokesman.
– Catherine Torbeke of CNN Business, Ramisha Maruf, Charles Riley and David Goldman contributed to the report.
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