Following the landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the constitutional right to abortion, the judgment paved the way for individual states to ban the procedure.
However, many companies have confirmed that they will pay for the travel cost through their insurance plans for employees who need to leave their home state to get an abortion.
According to BBC, abortion will not automatically become illegal in the U.S., but individual states will be allowed to decide if and how they will allow abortions. Thirteen states have already passed "trigger laws" to outlaw abortion.
Abortion is a controversial issue in the U.S. A recent Pew study found that 61 percent of the adults said that abortion should be legal all or most of the time, while 37 percent said it should not be allowed in the country.
Companies that will cover employee travel expenses for abortions
Amazon, banking giant Citigroup, and review website Yelp have expressed that they would reimburse employees who travel to circumvent local abortion restrictions even before the Supreme Court ruling.
As per Yelp chief executive Jeremy Stoppelman on Twitter, the Supreme Court's decision "puts women's health in jeopardy" and urged the business leaders to speak out, CNN reports.
Adding to the growing number of companies that confirmed that they would cover travel costs through their health insurance is Disney. The company assured its employees that it recognized the impact of the Supreme Court ruling and remained committed to them by giving them "comprehensive access" to affordable healthcare, including family planning and reproductive care, "regardless of where they live. It employs around 80,000 people in its Florida resort. Following the Supreme Court decision, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis already signed a ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which would be effective on July 1.
In a staff memo, banking giant JP Morgan also told its U.S. employees that it would cover travel expenses for medical services, including "legal abortions." A spokesperson for the bank said that the company is focused on the health and well-being of its employees, and it would ensure equitable access to all benefits.
U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs said it would cover travel expenses for its employees who need to travel to another state to get an abortion. Meta, the social media company, also expressed that it will reimburse travel expenses where permitted by law for employees who need it for access-out-of-town state health care.
Other companies supporting their employees if they need to undergo the banned procedure include Levi Strauss, Vogue publisher Conde Nast, and ride companies Lyft and Uber.
Lawmakers in Texas have threatened CitiGroup and Lyft with legal repercussions for their announcement. Republican Party Chairman Matt Rinaldi also urged Republicans not to use Cir's services.
States that will likely restrict abortion
According to Fortune, 13 states have already passed "trigger laws," which came into effect upon the overturning of the Roe versus Wade decision. These are Arkansas, Mississippi, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
