As a result of the Dobbs decision, some states have banned or regulated abortion, and many companies have announced that they will provide financial assistance to employees traveling for abortions.
The Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on June 24 that the right to abortion is not protected by the US Constitution; states can now prohibit abortion.
Many states have already passed trigger laws that make abortion illegal immediately, while the practice is still legal in others.
Some major corporations have announced that they will assist employees in states where abortion is illegal by covering travel costs associated with the procedure through their health insurance.
According to a June 24 announcement from Dick’s Sporting Goods, any employee, spouse, or dependent covered by its medical plan who needs an abortion in a state where it is prohibited will receive up to $4,000 in travel reimbursements.
“We recognize people feel passionately about this topic– and that there are teammates and athletes who will not agree with this decision,” the company said. The statement also noted that it believes these decisions are “deeply personal.”
Some companies, such as Starbucks and Levi Strauss & Co., will fully reimburse expenses for women seeking legal abortion access. “We will provide partners enrolled in Starbucks healthcare plan a medical travel reimbursement benefit to access an abortion,” says a Starbucks statement.
Amazon, Yelp, Microsoft, Apple, Netflix, Tesla, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Mastercard, Lyft, Disney, Meta, Comcast, Airbnb, Patagonia, DoorDash, PayPal, Reddit, Meta, Zillow, and Uber are among the other companies making similar offers, according to The Hill.
Some of the companies announced abortion travel assistance before the Dobbs decision, in response to either the May 2 leak of a draft of the decision or the Texas law prohibiting abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected.