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More companies covering travel costs for employees seeking an abortion

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After the Supreme Court ruled on Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade, corporate giants from a range of industries pledged to provide support and financial assistance for employees – and, in some cases, their dependents – seeking abortions in states that it is outlawed.

The court’s decision to roll back the nearly 50-year-old landmark ruling, will leave abortion policy up to individual states and could pave the way for numerous states to pass new abortion restrictions. As of Friday afternoon, state officials in at least seven states said that new abortion bans can now be enforced.

Millions of people seeking abortions may soon have to travel across state lines. In response, corporations, some with headquarters or offices in Republican-controlled states, are offering to cover these costs.

Microsoft extended its financial support for “critical healthcare,” including abortions and gender-affirming care, to include coverage for travel expenses for such services, after the draft opinion overturning Roe was first leaked.

Apple’s existing benefits package allows employees to travel out of state for medical care if it is unavailable in their home state, according to an Apple spokesperson.

Meta intends to offer travel expense reimbursement “to the extent permitted by law” for employees seeking out-of-state health care and reproductive services, according to a spokesperson. “We are in the process of assessing how best to do so given the legal complexities involved,” the Meta spokesperson said in a statement.

Yelp’s existing healthcare plan for US employees pays for women, family members and partners to travel out of states with strict abortion laws, such as Texas and Oklahoma, which ban abortions after 6 weeks.

“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,” Jeremy Stoppelman, co-founder of Yelp, said in a statement Friday. “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.”

Disney employees who are unable to access medical care in one location will be given affordable coverage to access the same care in another location, according to a company spokesperson. The benefit covers family planning and pregnancy-related decisions.

Netflix offers travel reimbursement coverage for US full-time employees and their dependents who need to travel for healthcare treatments including abortions and gender-affirming care, a Netflix spokesperson told CNN. The company provides a lifetime allowance of $10,000 per employees (or their dependents) per service.

Other companies offering to cover abortion travel costs include Match Group, Levi Strauss, Box.com, Warner Brothers, JP Morgan Chase and Nike.

ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH 

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: IDAHO STATESMAN

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