Some US companies took a stand on Friday (24) on repealing the right to abortion at the federal level, promising to reimburse their employees for medical expenses. However, this decision has legal risk, and even political reactions.
The Supreme Court decision “endangers women’s health, deprives them of rights and threatens to dismantle the progress we’ve made towards gender equality in the workplace” since the 1973 ruling guaranteeing access to abortion, the chief said. from Yelp, Jeremy Stoppelman.
“Business leaders must speak up now and ask Congress” to enshrine this principle in legislation, he added in a message posted on Twitter.
Few major companies were so forceful in their condemnation of the Supreme Court’s decision.
Some companies have pledged to ensure that their employees, wherever they work, can have access to termination of pregnancy by reimbursing their travel expenses to a state where the medical procedure is legal.
Some companies, such as Yelp and Airbnb, had already taken this step in September, after a law came into effect in Texas that bans all abortions from the moment the fetus’s heartbeat is visible on an ultrasound.
Little by little, other companies, such as Citigroup, Tesla and Amazon, modified the health coverage offered to their employees.
Another wave, which included Starbucks, Levi Strauss and JPMorgan Chase, came after a press leak in early May that heralded the possibility that the Supreme Court might backtrack on the abortion issue.
Some joined these companies last Friday, such as Disney, which sent a memo to employees assuring them that the company was committed to providing access to quality service “regardless of where they live,” according to broadcaster CNBC.
Double-edged sword
Many companies have remained silent, but that doesn’t mean they don’t offer the same benefits in their health plans.
But speaking publicly about the issue is a double-edged sword, points out Maurice Schweitzer, a professor at Wharton University in Pennsylvania.
“On the one hand, they want to get involved, to lead by example, because it’s important for their employees, especially in the tech sector,” he says.
About immigration, LGBTQIA+ rights, guns, racism… several top executives decided to speak publicly. But on abortion, “the legal landscape is going to change,” says Schweitzer.
Lyft, for example, has pledged to pay court costs for drivers who are brought to trial for transporting a woman to another state for an abortion.
There can also be legal consequences for changes in company health coverage.
Executives also factor in Disney’s recent Florida setback.
Initially, the company had decided not to take a stand against the law that prohibits the teaching of topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary schools.
At the urging of officials, Chief Bob Chapek eventually became an outspoken critic of the law, which drew the ire of Conservative Governor Ron DeSantis and led to the elimination of a favorable administrative status Disney World had enjoyed in the state since the 1960s. .
In the end, according to Schweitzer, the case “frustrated the employees, who blamed the company for not having positioned itself sooner” and “cost them money for the reaction of the politicians”.
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
