How Companies Are Responding to the Reversal of Roe v. Wade
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the federal constitutional right to an abortion. The decision ultimately makes state law makers the authority on deciding abortion rights. The ruling will have a significant impact on businesses.
Many companies have responded with initiatives that empower women to advocate for and continue to have access to safe abortions. These efforts include an expansion of travel benefits, work relocation programs, and advocacy related investments.
Expansion of Travel Benefits
Many companies responded to the decision with promises to reimburse people who would need to travel to access a safe abortion. Adidas and Snap promised to pay up to $10,000 in travel and lodging for employees getting an abortion out of state. Amazon, which employs nearly 200,000 workers in states where abortion is or will eventually be banned, will cover up to $4,000 in travel expenses and medical treatments including abortion.
JPMorgan Chase is also providing abortion related travel benefits for employees who can't access one within 50 miles of their homes. Other companies that have created travel related policies for employees seeking abortions include Discord, Nike, Ebay, Tesla, Disney, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Pinterest, Starbucks, Microsoft, Netflix, Condé Nast, Dick's Sporting Goods, Meta, Reddit, Paypal, Levi Strauss & Co., Door Dash, Airbnb, and Yelp.
Relocation Programs
Last fall, Salesforce, a cloud-based software company, said they would pay for any of its Texas-based employees to move out of Texas in response to the Texas Heartbeat Act, which prohibits abortions after the presence of a fetal heartbeat. In addition to providing travel benefits and deleting location data when people visit abortion clinics to protect digital privacy, Google is also allowing its employees to apply for relocation to states where abortion is legal.
Encouraging Advocacy
Clothing company, Patagonia, and American global entertainment brand, Live Nation, have both pledged to cover bail cost for employees arrested for peacefully protesting the Supreme Court's decision. Patagonia is also offering its workers with protest training, resources to make informed voting decision and time off to vote. In addition to covering bail cost, Live Nation has also pledged to match a $500,000 donation to Planned Parenthood by singer Lizzo. Both brands are also covering travel expenses for employees in need of health care services out of state.
Considerations for Companies Where Abortion Is Banned
The reversal of Roe v. Wade will likely have various implications on brands with offices and factories in states where the procedure is illegal, particularly in respect to attracting talent. According to a fall 2021 survey from the Tara Health Foundation, two thirds of college-educated workers would be discouraged from taking a job in Texas due to its abortion law. Similarly, 64 percent said they would not even apply for a job in states that passed abortion bans.
Companies in the conference and convention space may also suffer, as some organizations may avoid convening in states that don't permit abortions. According to a survey by Northstar Meetings Group, 48 percent of event planners said state abortion laws would impact their organization's site selection. Further, more than 80 percent of that cohort said they favored states that allow abortion, with 54 percent saying they wouldn't meet in states with anti-abortion laws.
With this in mind, companies may want to reconsider where they establish their headquarters and open new offices. Brands operating in states where the procedure is banned should expand benefits to include travel accommodations for employees seeking care out of state, implement relocation programs, and allow employees to work remotely.
During the recruiting process, companies should highlight these expanded benefits to attract and retain talent that wants to work in states where reproductive rights are protected. Companies should also consider developing childcare benefits and creating more flexible policies for working parents.
The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the ANA or imply endorsement from the ANA.
Dominick Fils-Aimé is a manager of editorial and content development at ANA.