Amazon to Pay for Employees' Non-Life-Threatening Medical Treatments, Including Abortion

Online e-commerce giant Amazon has announced that it is willing to pay for its employees' non-life-threatening medical treatments, including elective procedures like abortion.

The company has released a memo indicating that the benefit will provide workers with up to $4,000 in reimbursements, which will also cover the travel expenses to access medical facilities within 100 miles of their homes. According to Reuters, the move is crucial to companies willing to retain their employees and talents amid the looming legal changes against abortion in the U.S.

Amazon said it will pay for the employees' non-life-threatening medical treatments beginning January 2023. Procedures related to cardiology, substance-abuse disorder, and cellular gene therapies will also be covered by this benefit on top of the $10,000 annual travel expenses that the company shoulders for employees with non-life-threatening medical issues.

Other Major Businesses Shouldering Abortion Procedures

Amazon follows the same decision made by other major businesses in the U.S., such as Uber, Citigroup, Levi's, Uber, and Lyft, after a leaked report hinted that the Supreme Court is ready to overturn Roe vs. Wade, its nearly 50-year-old ruling to allow abortions in the country.

According to CNN, 26 states currently have legislation pushing for more stringent abortion laws. If Roe Vs. Wade is overturned, it will be easier for these legislations to be signed into law, which will be detrimental to many pregnant women who will be unable to avail of abortion services.

In March, Citigroup, the financial firm, said that it is responding to the changes in the laws on reproductive healthcare by giving its female employees adequate resources for abortion. Levi Strauss, the popular clothing company, has also set up a similar benefits plan for employees who may need to get an abortion outside of their home state. Levi's part-time workers will also be eligible for the said reimbursement even if they can't avail themselves of the company's other benefits.

After Texas banned abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy in 2021, Uber and Lyft set up a legal defense fund for their employees, especially drivers who could be sued by pro-life or anti-abortion advocates for taking pregnant moms to abortion. The dating site Match.Com has a similar fund, which will be extended to staff members who need reproductive health care.

Clinics Preparing for Deluge of Patients

Meanwhile, abortion clinics across the country are preparing for an influx of patients from out-of-state should Roe Vs. Wade becomes null and void. Jennifer Welsh of Planned Parenthood Illinois said via Block Club Chicago that they are gearing up for an expansion of their services because the overturning of the old law will be a devastating blow for millions of women.

Welsh is confident that Illinois will remain a state supporting the rights of women to get an abortion. Thus, she foresees more people in hostile states around Illinois coming to their facilities instead of carrying a pregnancy to term against their will.

A survey from Pew Research in May 2021 showed that 59 percent of adult Americans believe that abortion must remain decriminalized and accessible for women's health. Gallup also did a poll in the same period showing a 47 percent pro-abortion stance.