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Companies pledge to help staff wanting abortions
Major companies including Disney, banking giant JP Morgan, and Facebook owner Meta have told staff they will cover employee travel expenses for abortions, as millions of US women face restricted access, the BBC reports.
Other firms, such as Amazon, have already announced similar moves.
This comes in the wake of the landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court overturning the constitutional right to abortion. The ruling paves the way for individual states to ban the procedure.
However, a growing number of companies have confirmed they will cover travel costs through their health insurance plans for employees who leave their home state to get an abortion.
According to the BBC, Disney said it had told employees it recognised the impact of the Supreme Court ruling and remained committed to giving them ‘comprehensive access’ to affordable healthcare, including family planning and reproductive care, ‘no matter where they live’.
Disney employs some 80 000 people at its resort in Florida, where the governor has already signed into law a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which is scheduled to take effect on 1 July.
Reuters reports that banking giant JP Morgan told its US employees in a staff memo that it would cover travel expenses for medical services, including ‘legal abortions’.
It quoted a bank spokeswoman as saying: ‘We’re focused on the health and well-being of our employees, and want to ensure equitable access to all benefits.’
