JP Morgan, Disney join wave of companies that'll cover employee abortion travel costs
JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in America, has joined a host of companies that have said they will cover the cost for employees who need to travel out of state for abortions.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday officially reversed Roe v. Wade, declaring that the constitutional right to abortion upheld for nearly a half century, no longer exists.
The decision triggered internal memos to employees and statements from several companies including JP Morgan, Disney, Paramount, Netflix, Condé Nast, Meta and Warner Bros. They join a previous wave of corporations that had made similar announcements after a Supreme Court opinion leaked in early May suggesting this outcome.
JP Morgan told employees in a memo that if they live in states where abortion is outlawed, the company will cover the cost of travel to a state where it's legal, beginning in July.
The banking giant is one of many companies that have said they will cover such travel costs. Amazon and Levi Strauss announced changes to their policies in early May.
"Access to reproductive health care, including abortion, has been a critical factor to the workplace gains and contributions women have made over the past 50 years," a May 4 statement from Levi's said.
Media company Condé Nast will also pay for travel and lodging costs if employees need to travel out of their state for an abortion, according to an internal memo from CEO Roger Lynch to employees of the publisher of Vogue, New Yorker and Vanity Fair, among others.
"It is a crushing blow to reproductive rights that have been protected for nearly half a century," Lynch said in the memo obtained by NPR.
Condé Nast said the company has made enhancements to its U.S. health benefits to help employees and their dependents get access to reproductive care regardless of where they reside.
Lynch went further in his email to exhort his employees to use their journalism to respond in this moment.
"The most powerful way for us to respond to what's happening right now is through our brands and the distinctive editorial lenses with which they're covering today's news and the effect it will have on society," he said. "Our values are clear in the content and journalism we produce."
Without federal protection, states are now responsible for codifying their own laws surrounding abortion. Some have already passed laws banning nearly all abortions. [Copyright 2022 NPR]
