Companies face hurdles to paying abortion travel costs

Apple, Amazon, Disney, and JP Morgan all pledged to cover their employees’ travel costs for abortions immediately after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision. But those companies may lack the infrastructure to cover employees’ travel costs — and possibly the legal protections to do so. Clothing company Patagonia, ratings app Yelp, and Microsoft have already set up new policies to cover abortion travel costs.

What’s causing the hurdles? Companies must figure out how to provide for the costs — by contracting insurers, or through supplemental coverage employees can buy. Companies providing for abortion travel costs have to navigate employee privacy concerns, as well. Federal health laws require companies to protect patient privacy, but not where a crime has been committed. In a legal landscape evolving in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson, companies providing abortion travel could possibly face pressure to provide information against one of their employees.

Dig deeper: Read Ben Sasse’s piece in WORLD Opinions on the pro-life movement after Dobbs.