In a decision that sent shockwaves across the country and the world, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Friday the nearly half a century landmark Roe v. Wade, which allowed for the constitutional right to an abortion.
The reactions were swift, with leaders and organizations immediately responding to the ruling, while many across America were left concerned about their access to an abortion.
With this in mind, Amazon, Apple and JP Morgan are among a number of companies who announced they are willing to reimburse employees who travel out of state to legally access abortion services.
Various companies have announced in the past they will support their employees following restrictive abortion laws previously passed in states like Texas and Oklahoma, as well as after a leaked memo of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito indicating the court was prepared to to overturn Roe v. Wade, which the Court ultimately did on Friday.
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Below are just some of the companies that announced they will help employees who must travel out-of-state in order to get an abortion:
Roe v. Wade
Amazon
Amazon.com Inc. will pay up to $4,000 in travel expenses for abortions and other non-life threatening medical procedures. The benefit applies if the medical care is not available within 100 miles of an employee’s home, Reuters reported. Among other procedures covered: cardiology, cellular gene therapies and substance-abuse disorder programs. The benefit is retroactive to Jan. 1. For life-threatening medical problems, Amazon offers to $10,000 in travel reimbursements.
Apple
The maker of the iPhone said its health insurance provider will cover travel and medical costs of employees who want to get an abortion. Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook announced the benefit in September 2021 after the Texas anti-abortion law went into effect. That law says that except for medical emergencies, doctors may not perform an abortion if they have “detected a fetal heartbeat for the unborn child" though what constitutes a heartbeat is a matter of debate. It can be enforced by ordinary citizens filing lawsuits against anyone who aids an abortion. Cook previously spoke during a meeting for all of the tech giant's 160,000 employees across the world, a recording of which The New York Times obtained.
Bumble and Match
The dating app Bumble, which is based in Austin, created a relief fund for people seeking an abortion in the state. “Bumble is women-founded and women-led, and from day one we’ve stood up for the most vulnerable. We’ll keep fighting against regressive laws like #SB8,” the company tweeted, referring to the Texas anti-abortion law.
The Match CEO, Shar Dubey told employees that she would personally create a fund to support Texas-based workers who had to leave the state for care, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC. Match also owns Hinge, Tinder, and OKCupid.
Citigroup
Citigroup also will cover costs for its employees in states such as Texas who would have to travel to another state for an abortion. It has about 200,000 employees, 8,500 of whom live in Texas. It would pay for airfare and lodging.
Conde Nast
According to CNBC, publisher Conde Nast, the owner of “The New Yorker,” “Vanity Fair,” and “Wired” magazines, will reimburse travel and lodging expenses for workers who must travel out of their own states in order to get legal abortions, CEO Roger Lynch told employees.
He called the Supreme Court’s decision “a crushing blow to reproductive rights that have been protected for nearly half a century.”
Dick's Sporting Goods
Lauren Hobart, president and CEO of Dick's Sporting Goods, announced via LinkedIn that the company will provide up to $4,000 in travel expense reimbursement.
"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," Hobart's statement reads in part.
"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. We are making this decision so our teammates can access the same health care options, regardless of where they live, and choose what is best for them."
DISNEY
Disney sent an internal memo to employees Friday letting them know the company would help pay for pregnancy-related care if they have to travel to a different state.
Paul Richardson, chief human resources officer, and Pascale Thomas, vice president of enterprise benefits and well-being, signed the memo, which CNBC has obtained.
JP Morgan
JPMorgan Chase told workers that it will pay for travel to states that allow legal abortions, according to a memo first obtained by CNBC.
"Effective in July, you will be able to access additional covered benefits under the U.S. Medical Plan," the New York-based bank told workers. Those changes include "family-building benefits, such as cryopreservation," and enhanced benefits for LGBT+ workers, the bank said.
"We will also expand our existing health care travel benefit, which today covers certain services such as organ transplants, to all covered health care services that can only be obtained far from your home," JPMorgan told its staff.
Lyft and Uber
Lyft and Uber previously said they would cover legal fees for drivers on their respective platforms who are sued under restrictive abortion laws for taking passengers out of state to seek legal abortions.
Lyft said it will also reimburse employees who need to travel out of state to get a legal abortion.
Microsoft Corp.
Microsoft will add travel expenses to its abortion and gender affirming benefits for employees in the United States. “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,” the company said in a statement to Reuters.
Salesforce
Salesforce told its employees last year that it would help relocate anyone concerned about getting reproductive care. The move followed Texas's adoption of its aggressive anti-abortion law.
Starbucks
Starbucks will pay travel expenses for U.S. employees to get abortion or gender-confirmation procedures if those services aren't available within 100 miles of a worker’s home. The benefit will also be available to dependents of employees enrolled in its health care coverage.
Yelp Inc.
Yelp was among the first to say it would cover costs for employees seeking out-of-state abortions. It wants to make sure that all of its employees have equal access to health care, the company said. The benefit will cover all of its 4,000 employees, including 200 workers in Texas. “We’ve long been a strong advocate for equality in the workplace, and believe that gender equality cannot be achieved if women’s healthcare rights are restricted," Miriam Warren, Yelp's chief diversity officer, told The Associated Press previously.
However on Friday, following the Court's ruling, Yelp co-founder and CEO Jeremy Stoppelman said the ruling “puts women’s health in jeopardy" and "threatens to dismantle the progress we've made toward gender equality," according to CNBC.
“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 workplaces since Roe,” he said in a statement. “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.”
