Goldman And JPMorgan May Cover Employees’ Abortion Travel Expenses, Report Says

Topline

Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are considering paying for travel costs if employees need to leave their home state to receive an abortion, Bloomberg reported Thursday, after a leak showed the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and let states ban the procedure—possibly joining a growing list of employers that offer abortion travel benefits.

People protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court following the leak of the draft opinion.

Key Facts

Though both companies are discussing expanding abortion benefits to include travel costs, some executives at Goldman are fearful of pushback from Republican lawmakers if they adopt this policy, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed sources.

The news comes days after Levi Strauss and Amazon reportedly said they would pay for employees to travel to states with less restrictive abortion laws.

Earlier this week, Politico published a draft opinion from February showing the Supreme Court may soon let states outlaw abortion, declaring the court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling “egregiously wrong.”

In the months prior to Politico’s report, several other companies—including Citigroup, Yelp, Bumble and Apple—also promised to help their employees pay for travel to other states for abortion care, as Texas and other Republican-led states adopted a host of restrictive abortion laws.

JPMorgan declined to comment and Goldman Sachs did not respond to a request for comment from Forbes.

Chief Critic

Some Republican lawmakers have targeted corporations for offering to cover the expenses. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Wednesday introduced a bill titled the “No Tax Breaks for Radical Corporate Activism Act,” taking aim at companies that have taken a stance on abortion by attempting to block them from writing off travel costs for employees and family members seeking gender-affirming care or abortion services.

Key Background

Following the news of the leaked draft opinion, several companies spoke out about their commitment to protecting reproductive health rights, including OKCupid and Levi Strauss, which said in a statement business leaders “need to make their voices heard and act to protect the health and well-being of our employees.” But many corporations have also stayed silent on the issue. Companies in recent months have sometimes faced backlash from lawmakers for taking a political stance, including Disney, which sparked the ire of Florida Republicans for opposing the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, which imposes restrictions on classroom instruction involving “sexual orientation or gender identity.” Shortly after Disney spoke out against the law, Republicans enacted a law to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which covers Walt Disney World and allows the theme park to govern itself. But recent polling suggests the majority of U.S. voters are in favor of companies taking a stance on abortion. Of the nearly 2,000 voters surveyed by Morning Consult in a poll released Wednesday, 51% said they support brands speaking out about abortion access. That number was highest among Democrats, 76% of whom said they support the move, compared to just 28% of Republicans.

What We Don’t Know

How corporate abortion policies will be implemented and who will be covered. Amazon on Monday reportedly told employees it would reimburse up to $4,000 per year to travel out of state for non-life-threatening medical treatments including abortion, if those services aren’t available within 100 miles of their home. But that policy could exclude some low-wage workers: An Amazon spokesperson told Vice this week the benefit would only apply to U.S. workers enrolled in employer-provided healthcare plans, meaning staff enrolled in Medicaid and 115,000 delivery drivers who work as independent contractors wouldn’t qualify. An Amazon spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.

What To Watch For

If the White House also takes action. The Biden Administration is looking for ways to ensure access to abortion services if the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling is overturned, including by potentially making funds available through Medicaid or another source to help women travel to other states for an abortion, the Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing unnamed sources.