After the removal of the constitutional protection of abortion rights in the United States, many companies have joined the ranks of employers providing "abortion benefits" to employees, including Microsoft , Amazon , Tesla , Starbucks and other companies have allowed employees to reimburse " Abortion Travel Expenses.” Some analysts say that these benefits are limited in the types of employees they cover and the scope of reimbursement, and they are not an adequate substitute for the government’s protection of abortion rights.
A post calling on women to uninstall menstrual period tracking programs was liked by more than 200,000 people.
At the same time, large technology companies have been criticized for "remaining silent" on issues related to user menstrual tracking information and abortion data leaks.
US companies have launched "abortion benefits", temporary workers may not be able to enjoy them
In May of this year, after the draft opinion of the Supreme Court was leaked, many large US companies such as Microsoft, Tesla, Amazon, Starbucks, Citigroup and so on Start including “abortion travel expenses” in employee health benefits. Amazon offers a $4,000 fee to employees seeking abortions, Tesla, which is headquartered in Texas, claims to pay employees' transportation costs for "interstate abortions," and Starbucks allows employees to reimburse themselves and their families for traveling 100 miles away from home. Travel expenses for abortion.
Starbucks allows employees to reimburse themselves and their families for travel expenses for abortions 100 miles away from home
After the U.S. Supreme Court announced on Friday that it would overturn the "Roe v. Wade" ruling, including U.S. department store giants Target and Bank of America Large employers such as have also joined the ranks of providing "abortion benefits" to employees. But there are reports that many employers are divided over coverage and insurance plan details for employees to receive abortion benefits. Under a federal anti-discrimination law, all employers that offer health insurance must cover the risk of abortion if a female employee's pregnancy is life-threatening.
According to an early June survey by Mercer, a consulting firm , about 37% of 400 large and small companies in the United States cover at least "some form of elective abortion." Some executives surveyed said they had recently been forced to do so because of the Supreme Court ruling. Begin reviewing the details of its abortion coverage, including whether abortions that do not present health risks during pregnancy can be included in the benefits. Some executives have recently seen employee abortion coverage become "unintentionally narrower," and some states have begun limiting abortion coverage in Medicare.
The survey also showed that employers with at least 20,000 employees were most likely to provide transportation and accommodation benefits to employees seeking abortions. However, as the largest private employer in the United States, Walmart made it clear in this year’s employee benefit documents: “The cost of procedures, services, drugs and supplies related to abortion or termination of pregnancy is not covered by reimbursement unless the life of the pregnant woman is endangered. "At the same time, Walmart's 1.7 million U.S. employees cannot be reimbursed for the purchase of emergency contraceptive pill unless prescribed by a doctor.
Wal-Mart's headquarters Arkansas has banned all abortions except those intended to protect the life of the pregnant woman.
On Friday (1st) local time, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told employees that the company was weighing how to respond to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturning abortion rights precedents. Previously, Arkansas, where Walmart is headquartered, has banned all abortions except those intended to protect the life of pregnant women. McMillan did not say what policy changes are being considered, including whether travel would be paid for employees who must travel to other states where abortion services are available.
In addition to differences in reimbursement coverage, some analysts pointed out that the beneficiaries of "abortion benefits" are limited to salaried employees, while temporary workers whose working hours and income are not fixed may not be able to enjoy this benefit. Dick's Sporting Goods clearly stipulates that it only provides abortion insurance to salaried employees and full-time hourly employees. Starbucks also only provides this benefit to employees who work at least 20 hours a week and receive company medical insurance. Amazon also clearly states that it only provides medical insurance. Covered employees appear to exclude many independent contractors, including delivery drivers.
Abortion benefits will not last long
US technology companies are questioned by "leaked abortion data"
Regarding the "abortion benefits" launched by large and small companies in the United States, financial commentator Helen Oren analyzed that abortion rights should be protected by law. Rather than just being used as a welfare gimmick for companies to retain employees. Oren noted that it's worth noting that these benefits are being rolled out at a time when U.S. unemployment is extremely low and companies are scrambling to compete for talent. When labor demand falls again, this abortion benefit may not last long.
Many abortion rights advocates protested that abortion rights should be protected by the Constitution
At the same time, Bruce Fried, president of the bipartisan organization "Political Accountability Center", pointed out that corporate "generosity" does not replace government support for abortion rights. Guarantee, it’s these same companies that provide massive amounts of money to the politicians who have put millions of women in this predicament. Citigroup gave $75,000 to the Republican State Leadership Committee last year and a similar amount to the Republican Attorneys General Association in 2020, according to data compiled by the group, both of which have been seen as pushing back on constitutional protections for abortion rights. one of the planners.
In addition to Citigroup, Amazon, Bank of America, Uber and other companies that have launched abortion benefits for employees have also funded the above two organizations. "This kind of political funding undermines any statement or any policy by the company because they are promoting the opposite outcome, and they have actually been promoting this ruling," Fried said. For this behavior, Oren said The evaluation said that these companies "are equivalent to helping to buy the murder weapon and then throwing a few dollars to the orphanage."
In addition, large American technology companies are currently facing the question of "leaking abortion data." In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, many social media users have called on women to uninstall period tracking apps, delete records of searches for abortion pills and records of abortion clinic visits or appointments, and even started to pressure tech companies to change the types of user data they share with police. . Catherine Crump, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, pointed out that because users leave traces of their activities on the Internet every day, this digital evidence may be included in abortion investigations and even prosecutions.
Technology giant Google html issued a statement on the 21st saying that it will delete data records of users visiting abortion clinics and other sensitive places
"We will see all the tools that were developed to optimize the way we care are now repurposed for some kind of tracking. equipment." said digital surveillance expert Albert Kahn analysis. In response to outside doubts, technology giant Google issued a statement on the 1st saying that it would delete data records of users visiting abortion clinics and other sensitive places. This feature update "will take effect in the next few weeks." However, Amazon, Meta and other companies are still Discussing how to deal with this leakage risk, Amazon also received signature petitions and absenteeism protests from company employees for "remaining silent."
Red Star News reporter Hu Yiling
editor Guo Yu
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