American companies supporting the right to abortion

After the historic ruling on Friday in which the US Supreme Court decided Abolishing federal protections for the right to abortionSeveral companies in the country have announced a series of measures to provide financial support to workers wishing to terminate pregnancy as it is still possible to do so.

After the Supreme Court decision, abortion was no longer illegal across the United States: the problem is that it is no longer guaranteed by federal law. Immediately after the verdict was issued in 13 states ruled by Republicans entered into force Laws ban it in most cases, and in the next few months the same could happen in about two dozen other states. Consequently, the new restrictions will lead to significant disparities in access to abortion from state to state, and millions of women will have to travel hundreds of kilometers to be able to have an abortion in states where the right to do so is still protected.

For this reason, companies such as Disney, Meta and Netflix, among others, have announced that they will pay for travel and accommodations to allow their employees access to a state where an abortion can still be performed, in the event in which the person they live in there are prohibitions and restrictions.

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Disney, one of the world’s largest entertainment companies, said it will continue to support its workers who want access to abortion no matter where they live. Despite being in California, one of the states where abortion is still guaranteed and protected, many employees live and work in Florida, where the company’s largest theme park is located and where Republican Governor Ron DeSantis passed a law banning abortion after 15 weeks. of pregnancy, which is expected to take effect on July 1. Other major entertainment companies that will take similar steps to Disney are Netflix and Warner Bros. and Discovery.

Google instead announced that it would not only help its employees travel to access abortions in countries where it would be possible to practice it, but would also allow them to request a transfer to another country without having to give a reason.

“This is a huge change for the country that deeply affects a lot of us, especially women. Everyone will be able to act however they want, whether they want space and time to think, speak, volunteer outside work, or don’t want to discuss it at all or do anything else. Please be Aware of how your colleagues may be feeling, and as usual, treat each other with respect,” Google said in a note to employees.

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A spokesperson for Meta, the company that controls Facebook and Instagram, said the company will offer travel refunds to its employees who want to travel to have an abortion, specifying that it will do so “to the extent permitted by law.” At this moment, in fact, the Supreme Court ruling It is not forbidden to move in another country to have an abortion, but it is not certain that in the future individual countries may decide to interpret it more restrictively.

Despite this announcement, Meta has been heavily criticized in recent days for her reaction to the Supreme Court’s decision, due to Note sent on Friday He told his employees not to discuss the judgment publicly on social networks and in the workplace, so as not to create a “hostile environment” among workers.

Other large US companies that have announced measures to help their workers have an abortion, if they want to do so, include Condé Nast, which publishes magazines, among other things. Vogue magazine And the Vanity Fair, jeans brand Levi’s, banks Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, and Uber and Lyft chauffeur-driven car rental companies. The latter has also announced that it will cover the legal costs of drivers accused of illegally helping a woman have an abortion by taking her to a clinic: Drivers, like doctors, are already sanctioned in Texas and could be sanctioned in Oklahoma in the next few days.

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