Large companies offering to pay for abortion travel
(NewsNation) — In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade, some of the largest U.S. companies are pledging to cover employees’ travel expenses to access abortion services.
In repsonse to the wave of announcements, some GOP state lawmakers said they intend to go after employers that help their workers get an abortion. But many large companies have apparently decided that the legal threat is outweighed by the fact that an abortion travel allowance could be an important additional benefit that helps them hire and retain talent.
Walt Disney, Comcast, PayPal, Nike and other major employers announced the new benefit Friday, within hours of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and upend a nearly 50-year precedent that guaranteed the right to abortion. Several other top employers implemented similar policies after the draft ruling was leaked last month.
Dick’s Sporting Goods said it will provide employees, spouses and dependents up to $4,000 in reimbursement for travel to places where services eliminated under the court ruling remain available.
Some companies also said they will reimburse employees who decide to travel to protest the Supreme Court’s controversial ruling.
Google even offered to relocate employees from a red state to a blue state where laws may be more aligned with their views. .
The Hill contributed to this report.