Several major media and entertainment companies have pledged to cover the travel costs of employees seeking an abortion in the United States.
It comes after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on 24 June, bringing an end to 49 years of the right to an abortion in the country.
Making up the 6-3 majority opinion of the court were Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Alito, Justice Thomas, Justice Gorsuch, Justice Kavanaugh, Justice Barrett – the latter three of which were appointed by Donald Trump during his one-term presidency.
Writing in their dissenting opinion, Justice Kagan, Justice Sotomayor and Justice Breyer suggested that either “the mass of the majority’s opinion is hypocrisy, or additional constitutional rights are under threat. It is one or the other.”
They continued: “With sorrow — for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection — we dissent.”
In response to the ruling, which will disproportionately affect the poor, companies such as Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Comcast, Sony, Meta and Netflix have assured employees that they will cover any travel costs needed to get an abortion, Variety reported.
Disney reportedly reached out to employees shortly after the historic case was overturned, telling them that they “remain committed to providing comprehensive access to quality and affordable care” for all staff, “no matter where they live.”
Other companies, such as Netflix and Comcast, have travel benefits in place which help cover costs of employees needing to travel for medical services and procedures.
Meta said it will offer said reimbursements for travel “to the extent permitted by law” – which is significant as some states moving to ban or restrict abortion could also find ways to legally restrict those travelling cross-state for one.
The impact of Roe v. Wade being overturned will be felt for many years to come, with other companies likely to announce ways of helping staff as the impact of the move becomes clearer.
Latest
