Amazon will reimburse its staff in the US up to $4,000 in travel expenses annually for a range of non-life threatening medical treatments,...
Amazon will reimburse its staff in the US up to $4,000 in travel expenses annually for a range of non-life threatening medical treatments, including elective abortions, as conservative-led laws look to block access in many states.
The online retail giant's decision comes after a leaked memo on Monday revealed that the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide.
In a message sent to Amazon employees on Monday, obtained by Reuters, Amazon told its employees that the new work benefit would apply to an employee if an operation could not be done within 100 miles of their home and virtual care is not accessible.
Amazon will reimburse its staff in the US up to $4,000 in travel expenses annually for a range of non-life threatening medical treatments, including elective abortions
That will be put in place for all corporate and warehouse employees or covered dependents enrolled in the company's Premera or Aetna health plans, according to the memo.
Amazon's decision comes after Citigroup and Yelp both announced they would reimburse travel expenses for abortion care as a direct response to a slew of bills passing in red states looking to restrict access to the procedure.
Citigroup in March said in a filing with regulators that in light of 'changes in reproductive healthcare laws in certain states,' it will provide travel benefits to 'facilitate access to adequate resources.'
The companies join a list of dozens that have made moves in reaction to states maneuvering to block women's to access abortion.
More than 50 US companies, including the online review service Yelp, clothing maker Patagonia and ride-hailing app Lyft, late last year signed on to a statement opposing a new Texas law that bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.
Cloud computing giant Salesforce offered to relocate employees at its Texas facilities to other states after the law went into effect there.
It shows how companies are eager to retain and attract talent in locations that remain important to their operations despite legal changes impacting employees' health.
Amazon's new benefit, effective to Jan. 1 retroactively, applies if an operation is not available within 100 miles of an employee's home and virtual care is not possible, the company's message said.
It is open to U.S. employees or covered dependents enrolled in Premera or Aetna health plans, whether they work in a corporate office or a warehouse.
The reimbursements that Amazon announced on Monday are not specific to abortion. The list of procedures covered also included gastric bypass, mental health care, and in-patient treatment for substance abuse disorders, according to Amazon.
Separately, Amazon offers up to $10,000 in annual travel reimbursements for life-threatening issues.
The news came on the day Amazon stopped offering paid time off for U.S. employees diagnosed with COVID-19, letting them have five days of excused unpaid leave instead.
Amazon employees at a warehouse in New York are having their votes counted on Monday as well that will determine whether the facility unionizes. A group of current and former workers known as the Amazon Labor Union has pushed for better pay and job security.
The moves come as legal analysts believe the Supreme Court, dominated by conservatives following the nomination of three justices by former president Donald Trump, looks poised to possibly overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that held that access to abortion is a woman's constitutional right.
In December, hearing oral arguments about a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks, the court's conservative majority appeared inclined to not only uphold the law but to toss out Roe v. Wade.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision in the Mississippi case by June.
The Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice research group, has said that 26 states are 'certain or likely' to ban abortion if the Roe is overturned.
The Supreme Court is poised to strike down the right to abortion in the US, according to a leaked draft of a majority opinion that would shred 50 years of constitutional protections
Protesters descended upon the court late on Monday night after Politico reported the Supreme Court's bombshell draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade
Pro-choice activists remained outside the Supreme Court into Tuesday morning, hours after the bombshell Monday night report
Politico reported Monday night that Justice Samuel Alito, one of six justices appointed by Republican presidents on the nine-member court, wrote a majority draft opinion in February repudiating both Roe and the 1992 Planned Parenthood vs. Casey decision.
'Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,' Alito writes in the opinion, which was reportedly circulated among the court members. 'We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,' he continues in the document, titled 'Opinion of the Court.'
'It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives.'
Alito's draft does not necessarily represent the sentiments of other justices who did not pen the opinion, but it's been suggested that the court's 5-3 conservative supermajority will likely deliver on the historic reversal.
The Supreme Court is planning to vote to strike down the decision of Roe v. Wade, long considered a vanguard of guaranteeing a right to an abortion in the United States.
Republicans celebrated the decision, calling it a victory for the social conservatives and Christians who have worked for decades in lockstep to reach this moment.
Pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List hailed the report as a victory for their movement.
'If the draft opinion made public tonight is the final opinion of the court, we wholeheartedly applaud the decision. The American people have the right to act through their elected officials to debate and enact laws that protect unborn children and honor women,' SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said. 'If Roe is indeed overturned, our job will be to build consensus for the strongest protections possible for unborn children and women in every legislature.'
The draft document is not final until the court formally announces its decision in a case, meaning the ruling could technically still be changed. The court is expected to issue its final ruling before its term is up in late June or early July.
That led to speculation from some on the right, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, that the Alito draft was leaked in the hopes public outrage could temper the court's decision.
Indeed, following its release, several notable Democrats have already slammed the decision, saying they will not abide by it.
One Democratic Representative compared the decision to a dystopian novel, The Handmaid's Tale, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed the state would 'fight like Hell' to oppose the ruling.
'Our daughters, sisters, mothers and grandmothers will not be silenced,' Newsom tweeted Monday night. 'The world is about to hear their fury.'
Reaction to the news of Alito's draft opinion was swift Monday night, with conservative lawmakers celebrating the news after decades of fighting for an end to abortion rights - though they raised doubts about why the decision was leaked in the first place.
On the left, Democrats and abortion rights activists slammed the decision - saying it is a 'nightmare scenario' as they vowed to fight the ruling.
In a statement following the news, Planned Parenthood CEO Jodi Hicks said: 'This is the nightmare scenario we in the reproductive health, rights, and justice space have been sounding the alarm about and especially once the U.S. Supreme Court had a conservative majority.
'And now, if this opinion truly is reflective of the final decision of the majority of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices, then even if abortion remains legal today, we are just days away from more than 26 states banning access to abortion services, essential and safe health care that has been a constitutional right for nearly 50 years.'
'Make no mistake about it, the plan has always been to ban and criminalize abortion ever since 1973 when Roe v. Wade was decided,' she claimed.
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