More employers are taking steps to show that supporting workers in abortion care is a workplace issue.
In response to Texas law banning the procedure after about six weeks of pregnancy, Yelp is the latest company to announce that it will cover the costs of employees and their spouses who must travel out of state to access abortion care, The New York Times reported.
According to the policy, Yelp employees will send travel receipts directly to health insurance companies for reimbursement, "so no one else at Yelp will know who accessed it, how and when," Miriam Warren, the company's chief diversity officer, told the Times.
Yelp has more than 4,000 employees, 200 of which are in Texas, but the company says the benefit extends to employees in other states where access to abortion is restricted. On Tuesday, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed into law a bill that criminalizes carrying out abortions, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine, in the ongoing Republican-led effort to curtail abortion rights across states. .
Leila Abolfazli, federal reproductive rights director of the National Center for Women's Law, says company policies that promote access to abortion are welcome but "a small drop in the bucket."
"It's important for companies to understand that abortion is among the healthcare services their employees may need," says Abolfazli. "The health and well-being of workers is crucial to any company in attracting, retaining, and showing support for employees."
Bloomberg reports that Yelp's policy change follows news that Citigroup will reimburse for expenses such as airfare and accommodation for employees who need to travel to have an abortion in places like Texas. The banking giant has approximately 65,000 US employees, of which 8,500 live in Texas. Increasing its presence in Austin, Apple also said its health insurance provider will cover travel and medical expenses for its employees to have abortions.
Other businesses have responded to Texas law since it took effect Sept. Lyft and Uber have offered to pay legal fees to drivers sued for aiding or abetting abortions under the law, and the CEO of Bumble and Match Group has set up relief funds for those seeking abortions. in the province.
Some employers, such as those in Pittsburgh and Portland, support employees by giving them paid leave to recover from the procedure.
Abolfazlı says it is important to change HR policies and reminds staff that they are not discriminated against for taking advantage. However, she adds, "we cannot come out of the abortion crisis we are about to face in this country piecemeal."
In December, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a Mississippi case that directly challenged the right to abortion, established by the Roe v Wade decision in 1973 and reaffirmed by the Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision in 1992. The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, is expected to rule in June.
Abolfazli says employers should look at how changing abortion laws make it harder to work in certain states. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group for reproductive rights, about half of US states already have laws restricting abortion.
Big corporations have "great political power," Abolfazli says, and often "has more weight than anyone else to call local lawmakers and say, 'This makes it harder to operate in the state."
Some businesses, including Salesforce, have gone so far as to offer to relocate employees living in states with abortion bans. "We're going to a place where people have different rights depending on where they live," Abolfazli says. "Bosses are not prepared for the dramatic change that will take place in the country and what it means for the workers living in these places."
Check out:
Pittsburgh, Portland grants death leave to workers for pregnancy loss for the first time in the US
Jack Dorsey, Emily Weiss and 185 other CEOs sign letters calling abortion bans 'bad for business'
The Supreme Court's ruling on the ACA's birth control jurisdiction can cost women hundreds of dollars each year.
Register now: Be smarter about your money and career with our weekly newsletter
Comments
Post a Comment