Uber, Nike, Lyft, Disney, JP Morgan and others vow to help employees access abortions after Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade: 'We must keep up the fight'

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Uber, Nike, Lyft, Disney, JP Morgan and others vow to help employees access abortions after Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade: 'We must keep up the fight'
Protesters outside the Supreme Court with signs supporting abortion rights.MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
  • The US Supreme Court has struck down Roe v. Wade.
  • Businesses have had months to grapple with the ramifications of this long-anticipated ruling.
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The Supreme Court has struck down Roe v. Wade, effectively cutting off abortion access in many parts of the US. The seismic ruling is set to reverberate throughout the country, including in the business world.

"We therefore hold that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion," the majority of Supreme Court justices wrote in the decision, handed down Friday morning. "Roe and Casey must be overruled, and the authority to regulate abortion must be returned to the people and their elected representatives."

Given the widespread implications for half the workforce in anti-abortion states, experts have said companies based in jurisdictions with abortion bans will face repercussions around recruitment and retention and even possible legal jeopardy.

Before the ruling, some businesses began offering support for employees affected by the court's long-predicted decision. Others have remained largely silent on the issue.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

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Amazon

Amazon has publicly said it'd cover costs for employees seeking abortions in states where the procedure were made illegal.

Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook has said the tech giant will cover employees who "travel out-of-state for medical care if it is unavailable in their home state."

AT&T

The telecommunications giant said in a statement: "The health of our employees and their families is important to our company, and we provide benefits that cover the cost of travel for medical procedures that are not available within 100 miles of their home."

Previous reporting from Insider found that AT&T contributed some $1.2 million to leaders backing abortion bans in the US. It is the single largest publicly traded company behind so-called trigger laws, or laws that will effectively ban abortion in several states given the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Comcast-NBC Universal

The media company confirmed with Variety that it offers travel benefits that cover medical services and procedures that aren't available in the employee's area for up to $4,000 per trip and three trips a year. CNN confirmed that abortion care is covered.

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Condé Nast

Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch sent out an email to workers that says the company's "most powerful" response will be through its "distinct editorial lenses"

Condé Nast has also announced that it will "assist covered employees and their covered dependents in obtaining access to reproductive care regardless of where they reside."

"Today, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, allowing individual states to more aggressively regulate or ban the procedure altogether," CEO Roger Lynch wrote in a note to employees. "It is a crushing blow to reproductive rights that have been protected for nearly half a century."

CVS

"Ensuring access to safe, legal, high-quality health care is one of our most important priorities," the pharmacy giant said in a statement to Insider. "We will continue to provide colleagues, clients, and consumers with the flexibility to choose medical and pharmacy benefits to best suit their needs, including making out-of-state care accessible for our covered employees residing in states that have instituted laws that limit access in their state."

Dick's Sporting Goods

Dick's CEO Lauren Hobart posted on LinkedIn, saying she's protecting her employees' health and well-being.

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"In response to today's ruling, we are announcing that if a state one of our teammates lives in restricts access to abortion, DICK'S Sporting Goods will provide up to $4,000 in travel expense reimbursement to travel to the nearest location where that care is legally available. This benefit will be provided to any teammate, spouse or dependent enrolled in our medical plan, along with one support person," the retail CEO said.

"We recognize people feel passionately about this topic, and that there are teammates and athletes who will not agree with this decision. However, we also recognize that decisions involving health and families are deeply personal and made with thoughtful consideration," she added

Disney

Speaking on background, a Disney spokesperson said the company has "communicated directly" with its employees to "recognize the impact of the ruling." The company's travel benefit will cover pregnancy-related decisions, and the company re-emphasized its commitment to providing affordable healthcare for all employees, regardless of their locations.

HP

"As a company, we believe that it should be up to every single one of our employees to decide whether and when to start a family, whether that's choosing who they love and marry, taking paid time off if they are having a child, and having access to healthcare," HP CEO Enrique Lores tweeted on Friday.

The information technology and hardware company said in a May statement that it would continue to support employees needed out-of-state reproductive care and would cover related travel expenses.

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Indeed

The careers platform said in a statement that: "Employees who are on Indeed insurance will be reimbursed for travel expenses for covered medical procedures that are unavailable where they live."

"At Indeed, we believe that work needs women, and women need access to safe and affordable health care," the statement reads. "Anything that limits the freedom of women to make their own decisions about their health hurts them and society. Limiting access to safe and affordable health care will hit hardest in marginalized communities, especially people of color and those in lower income brackets."

Johnson & Johnson

A spokesperson for the pharmaceutical and consumer-goods giant told Insider in a statement that the company offers reimbursement for US employees who need to travel for medical services not available within 100 miles of their home, which includes reproductive healthcare.

"As the world's most broadly-based healthcare company, we strive to improve access and affordability, create healthier communities, and put health within reach for the people we serve," the spokesperson said. "We also believe healthcare decisions are best determined by individuals in consultation with their healthcare provider."

JPMorgan Chase

In response to the Roe ruling, the financial institution assured its workforce that it would pay for employees to travel to receive abortions, according to CNBC.

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Kroger

A Kroger spokesperson told Insider that employees who use the company's health plan have access to "a comprehensive benefits package that includes quality, affordable health care and travel benefits up to $4,000 to facilitate access to quality care for several categories of medical treatments and a full range of reproductive health care services, including abortion and fertility treatments."

Levi Strauss

In a statement to Insider, a spokesperson from the clothing company highlighted the brand's donations to reproductive-rights nonprofits and said:"We stand strongly against any actions that hinder the health and well-being of our employees, which means opposing any steps to restrict access to the full range of reproductive health care, including abortion. Protection of reproductive rights is a critical business issue impacting our workforce, our economy, and progress toward gender and racial equity. Given what is at stake, business leaders need to make their voices heard and act to protect the health and well-being of our employees."

Live Nation

In an Instagram post, Live Nation pledged to cover the travel expenses for employees who need access to women's healthcare services, and bail expenses for employees arrested while protesting peacefully.

A post shared by Live Nation Concerts (@livenation)

Lyft

The rideshare company promised legal support for drivers at risk of lawsuits for driving passengers to abortion appointments.

"We believe access to healthcare is essential and transportation should never be a barrier to that access," a Lyft spokesperson told ABC News. "This decision will hurt millions of women by taking away access to safe, and private reproductive healthcare services."

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Meta

Meta said in a statement that it plans to reimburse travel expenses for employees who need to access out-of-state reproductive care.

In a post on Facebook, longtime Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg posted about the Supreme Court's decision.

"I grew up hearing stories from my mom about what women in our country went through before Roe," she wrote. "My Mom had a friend who left the country to get a safe abortion. Most women could not afford to do this; some had back-alley abortions, which led all too often to serious health complications and sometimes even death. All women knew that they could possibly face impossible choices between controlling their futures and their health and breaking the law."

Sandberg went on to write, "I never thought my mom's past would become my daughters' futures. I cannot believe that I'm going to send my three daughters to college with fewer rights than I had. The Supreme Court's ruling jeopardizes the health and the lives of millions of girls and women across the country."

The "Lean In" author wrote that the new ruling "threatens to undo the progress women have made in the workplace."

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"It will make it harder for women to achieve their dreams," she wrote. "And it will disproportionately impact women with the fewest resources. This is a huge setback. For ourselves, our daughters, and every generation that follows, we must keep up the fight. Together, we must protect and expand abortion access."

Microsoft

The tech giant previously announced to its employees that it would help cover costs for workers traveling to seek abortion access.

"This support is being extended to include travel expense assistance for these and other medical services where access to care is limited in availability in an employee's home geographic region," Microsoft's statement said.

Momentive (formerly SurveyMonkey)

The tech company told its employees Friday morning that it will cover employee and covered-dependent costs for travel for abortion, infertility, and gender-affirming care.

Netflix

Netflix told Insider the company planned to cover costs for any employees who were forced to travel to receive abortions.

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Nike

The sportswear company covers lodging and travel expenses for employees seeking health care not available near them.

"No matter where our teammates are on their family planning journey — from contraception and abortion coverage, to pregnancy and family-building support through fertility, surrogacy and adoption benefits — we are here to support their decisions," Nike said in a statement released on Friday.

OkCupid

In a statement posted to Instagram, a spokesperson from the popular dating site said: "The #roevwade decision does not mean the fight is over. Reproductive rights are human rights. Act now by calling your representatives and demanding freedom and choice. We have no choice but to fight!"

In addition, OkCupid sent an in-app notification to every user in the 26 states likely to ban abortion that encourages people to call their elected officials, a spokesperson told Insider.

Paramount Global

CEO Bob Bakish and chief people officer Nancy Phillips confirmed the company's stance to staff on Friday, confirming, "reproductive health care through company-sponsored health insurance, including coverage for birth control, elective abortion care, miscarriage care and certain related travel expenses if the covered health service, such as abortion, is prohibited in your area," in a memo obtained by Variety.

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Reddit

Alexis Ohanian, the founder of social media platform Reddit, took to Twitter to weigh in on the news.

Snap

A spokesperson for the social media giant told Insider the company will provide a travel and lodging benefit allowance of up to $10,000 for a worker or family member covered by their insurance who is seeking an abortion.

"Snap remains committed to supporting access to important health care benefits for our team members, and have worked closely with our benefit providers to cover travel for team members seeking medical treatments, including abortion banned in their state of residence. Our goal is to ensure that all Snap team members are able to get access to the medical care they need, and when they need it," the spokesperson said.

Starbucks

"Like many of you, I'm deeply concerned by the draft Supreme Court opinion related to the constitutional right to abortion that was first established by Roe v. Wade," Starbucks' executive vice president, Sara Kelly, wrote in a letter to Starbucks employees. "Regardless of what the Supreme Court ends up deciding, we will always ensure our partners have access to quality healthcare."

Sundance

The Sundance Film Festival and Sundance Institute announced that it "has augmented its healthcare benefits to include covering travel expenses" weeks before the Supreme Court decision, according to Variety. Its annual festival is scheduled to be held in Utah where an abortion ban is expected to be implemented.

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Tesla

Representatives for the Texas automaker said in May that the company would foot the bill for employees traveling to receive "healthcare services."

Uber

Although the rideshare company already covers travel expenses for access to health care, a spokesperson said Uber will reimburse drivers who may be sued for providing transportation to an abortion clinic, CNN reports.

UnitedHealth Group

"We are aware of the Supreme Court's opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization," a UnitedHealth Group spokesperson told Insider in a statement. "We respect and realize there are differing opinions on this important issue. This decision will affect our employees and the people we serve in different ways, depending on where they live, what type of insurance coverage they have and their specific plan details."

The spokesperson said the company's teams "have been actively preparing for this decision."

"We are reviewing the court's opinion now and will communicate more information as soon as possible," the spokesperson said. "We remain committed to helping members and patients get access to their plan benefits and services."

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Walgreens

Walgreens told Insider that the company remains committed to "best supporting the health and wellbeing of our patients and customers."

"We're prepared to adhere to new federal and state laws and regulations, and will update any protocols in certain states as a result of this Supreme Court decision," the company said.

Walmart

Walmart representatives previously declined to comment on the company's history of donating to anti-abortion politicians in states with so-called trigger laws. In states with the laws, abortion bans were set to automatically take effect once the court struck down Roe.

Yelp

The restaurant-review platform Yelp said it would reimburse employees who needed to travel out of state for abortions. A Yelp executive also told Insider the company was contacted by executives at other firms curious about installing a similar benefit.

In a statement to Insider, Jeremy Stoppelman, co-founder and CEO of tech company Yelp reacted to the news.

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"This ruling puts women's health in jeopardy, denies them their human rights, and threatens to dismantle the progress we've made toward gender equality in the workplace since Roe," he said. "Business leaders must step up to support the health and safety of their employees by speaking out against the wave of abortion bans that will be triggered as a result of this decision, and call on Congress to codify Roe into law."

YouTube

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki previously spoke out about the impending fall of Roe in May. According to Fortune, the tech CEO said, "I believe reproductive rights are human rights, and to take away a law and a right that we've had for almost 50 years will be a big setback for women."

Zillow

In a statement to Insider, a spokesperson said the real estate company supports its employees' rights to make their own healthcare choices."Our health benefits cover a wide range of reproductive health care services — including abortion, whether patient-elected, medically necessary, or both. And, effective June 1, we updated our health plan to reimburse up to $7,500 each time significant travel is necessary to access health care, including reproductive services or gender-affirming care. Moving forward, we will continue to ensure our coverage includes safe access to reproductive health care."

Dominick Reuter and Hannah Towey contributed reporting to this story.

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