15 US Companies Offering Abortion Benefits to Employees

When the Supreme Court voted on June 24 of this year to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the impact was immediately apparent. Abortion is now banned in at least 10 states as laws restricting the procedure come into effect after the decision. More bans will follow in the coming weeks, as a total of 26 states are likely to be affected by the ruling.

As people struggle to access health care, an obvious knock-on effect is the cost of accessing out-of-state services. “This decision will cause immediate economic pain in 26 states where abortion bans are most likely and where people are already facing lower wages, less labor and limited access to health care,” said Heidi Shierholz, the president of the Economic Policy Institute. in a statement. a statement.

There are other, more serious consequences. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen addressed the Senate Banking Committee in May and said limiting women’s reproductive rights would have very damaging effects on the economy.

“Roe v. Wade and access to reproductive health care, including abortion, have led to increased employment rates,” she said. “It enabled many women to finish school. That increased their earning potential. It enabled women to plan and balance their families and careers.”

The response in the workplace

At the moment, many companies, both in the tech sector and in other sectors, are standing behind their employees and preparing responses to help. Stix, an online marketplace for reproductive health products founded by women, is helping women regain control and has launched a product called Restarting, an over-the-counter morning-after pill. It also offers support with its Restart Donation Bank, which offers free doses, no questions asked.

Yelp, the crowd-sourced review website, will provide support to its employees who may need to leave the state to access abortion. The company believes its employees should have equal access to healthcare, but behind the scenes, Yelp is also doing more to help. It made a strategic effort in 2018 to ensure that users seeking abortion care have access to reliable information, and since then it has also taken steps to reduce misinformation on the platform.

Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the US, has told its staff that it will pay up to $4,000 annually in travel costs for non-life-threatening medical treatments, including abortions. Microsoft said it will support workers in accessing critical health care, including abortion services and gender-affirming care.

Within the financial services industry, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase all offer travel benefits to employees who need abortions. “We will continue to provide benefits that support our colleagues’ family planning choices where permitted by law,” said Sara Wechter, Human Resources Director at Citi.

In the entertainment industry, Netflix offers employees and dependents up to $10,000 in travel reimbursement for treatments that include abortion. Warner Brothers Discovery has expanded health benefits for workers who must move to other states to access abortion and reproductive care. The Chief People and Culture Officer, Adria Alpert Romm, said of the move: “Our priority is the wellbeing, health and safety of our employees.”

Comcast and Disney, both owners of theme parks in Florida (where abortion is prohibited after 15 weeks of pregnancy), offer employees a travel benefit to access care at a different location.

Things look a little different in Big Tech, where companies balance different priorities. At Apple, the company says employees can use their company benefits to travel abroad for medical care, including abortions. However, there are concerns about the period-tracking data the company’s Health app captures and how it might be used in the future.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has confirmed that it will reimburse employees for costs associated with traveling abroad for an abortion. Separately, it has become embroiled in an internal spat with staff after ordering them not to openly discuss the Supreme Court ruling at work.

Google is also taking a different route, telling its staff in a memo that they are free to move. “This is a profound change for the country that deeply affects so many of us, especially women,” chief people officer, Fiona Cicconi, said in an email. “Googlers can also request a move without justification.”

The company is already under pressure from lawmakers and the public about how it will handle data privacy after Roe’s fall. It says it will delete the location history of people going to abortion sites and other medical sites, but it is also being investigated for misinformation. A new study of the Center for Countering Hate found that one in 10 searches for abortion services in “trigger states,” where the procedure is likely to become illegal, are misdirected to clinics known as “pregnancy crisis centers” that do not provide actual care.

While many will be happy with the financial cushion and support their workplace provides, there are obvious drawbacks: so far, the benefits extend mostly to travel allowances. Having to state your reason for that trip can be a barrier, because it can end up on your HR file.

Companies might consider adding extra paid time off (without asking questions) to help, and for large tech companies with huge influence, their lobbying power is the most important item. Failure to support anti-choice lawmakers and stand up for their employees builds trust, but can also bring awareness to one of the most controversial issues in recent history.

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