As the nation reels from the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a constitutional right to safe abortion, some of the entertainment industry’s largest companies have announced that they will reimburse travel expenses for employees seeking that procedure. Following the ruling today, June 24th, Paramount sent their employees a memo emphasizing the option, while Amazon announced a similar policy last month, and Puck News reports Disney, Netflix, Comcast, Sony, and Warner Bros. Discovery have all made promises along those lines.
“Across the country, we have entered a moment of profound uncertainty — from a legal and a policy perspective, as states pursue different paths regarding reproductive rights, but also on a personal level, as we try to understand what services will be accessible, when, where, and to whom,” Paramount wrote in an email today. The memo emphasized that they will provide, “Reproductive health care through company-sponsored health insurance, including coverage for birth control, elective abortion care, miscarriage care, and certain related travel expenses if the covered health service, such as abortion, is prohibited in your area.”
On May 2nd, Amazon announced that it would pay up to $4,000 annually in travel expenses. That covers a wide-variety of non-life threatening medical treatments, including abortions. The reimbursement is available whenever virtual care is not possible and an operation is not available within 100 miles of the employee’s home.
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Netflix tops that, offering up to $10,000 for travel covering “cancer treatment, transplants, gender-affirming care, or abortion.” That $10,000 is available per service, not per year.
According to Puck News’ Matthew Belloni, Disney has also said it will cover travel expenses for employees in red states seeking abortions. This is likely to intensify the company’s conflict with Florida, which is home to Disney World, and which earlier this year passed an abortion ban after 15 weeks of gestation, with no exceptions for rape, incest, or victims of human trafficking.
Disney has already locked horns with Florida’s Republicans over the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. After a statement saying, “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that,” state lawmakers voted to punish them by repealing Disney World’s special district status, and conservative protesters attempted to blockade Disney World.
News of the Supreme Court’s decision has been met with outrage and horror among people all over the world, including musicians, artists, actors, and other entertainers. Check out a roundup of reactions.
If you don’t work for one of these companies and are looking for reproductive healthcare, or just want to donate to someone with experience helping, this document lists abortion funds in every state, Aid Access can provide abortion pills via mail anywhere within the US, and you can also contact your Senators and demand they take action.
Paramount just sent employee memo highlighting coverage for abortion travel expenses… pic.twitter.com/El0uKYlhv4
— Matthew Belloni (@MattBelloni) June 24, 2022
Update: Disney just informed employees it will indeed cover travel expenses for employees in red states that want an abortion. Big because Disney has so many people in Florida.
Advertisement— Matthew Belloni (@MattBelloni) June 24, 2022
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