According to a leaked draft opinion, a majority of the Supreme Court of the United States has voted to overturn its landmark 1973 abortion decision, Roe v. Wade — and some of the country’s largest businesses are under pressure to respond.
Overturning Roe v. Wade would mean abortion rights fall under the jurisdiction of individual states, which could lead to abortion bans in roughly half of the United States. Thirteen states have already passed what are known as “trigger” bans which automatically ban abortion if the 49-year-old decision is overruled.
It is unclear if the draft represents the court’s final word on the matter. A decision will be ruled in June or July. But the report has prompted scrutiny over corporate ties and donations to anti-abortion lawmakers.
Some companies with U.S. employees are introducing new measures to protect their workers, or reiterating past commitments to facilitate employee access to abortion. Others have stayed quiet.
In many cases, only employees who are eligible under an employer-provided healthcare plan will qualify for abortion-related benefits — leaving the most precarious workers more vulnerable to restricted access.
Low-income, minority women will bear the brunt of abortion bans
This week, Amazon announced that it would cover up to $4000 in travel costs for U.S. employees seeking non-life threatening care, including abortions, starting Jan. 1 of this year.
However, the reimbursement is only available to those who have employer-provided health insurance, according to a company statement obtained by Vice.
That leaves thousands of Amazon employees, many of whom work in low-income positions, including drivers and warehouse workers, ineligible for the travel reimbursement.
According to data from the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion-rights advocacy group, abortion is concentrated among those living below the poverty line with many patients stating that they chose to have an abortion because they could not afford to have another child.
As a result, eliminating the option for safe and accessible abortion will have serious economic consequences for low-income women and their families.
WATCH | There is little support for Roe v. Wade overturn, expert says:
U.S. law professor Kimberly Wehle says she wasn’t surprised by the draft opinion that the Supreme Court could overturn Roe v. Wade. 3:28
“We’re now making their lives harder, because the reality is wealthier women will probably find ways to get a safe abortion somewhere,” said Jennifer Roberts, the CEO of Women Corporate Directors Foundation.
“People who don’t have the means, who are less privileged and need this more than ever, are not going to be able to get that help and they’ll end up pursuing very dangerous forms of abortion.”
(Beyond travel, the procedure itself is often not covered by insurance, costing nearly $600 (about $730 Cdn) for an abortion in the first…
Read More: As abortion bans loom in the U.S., companies step up or stay quiet
