The Walt Disney Company announced on Friday that it will cover travel expenses for employees who have to travel out of state for reproductive care and abortions, following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Disney joins other media companies, including Netflix, Paramount, Sony, and Comcast, who have all made similar announcements in light of the ruling.
The company will cover the cost of travel for “family planning” for any worker who cannot access care where they live, including “pregnancy-related decisions.” Out of Disney’s 195,000 worldwide employees, approximately 80,000 live in Florida. And although Florida is not one of the 13 U.S. states with “trigger bans” in effect, designed to ban abortion within 30 days of Roe being overturned, the fate of reproductive rights remains uncertain in the state.
“We recognize the impact of the ruling and that we remain committed to providing comprehensive access to quality and affordable care for all of our employees, cast members, and their families, including family planning and reproductive care, no matter where they live,” Disney told The Washington Post in a statement.
The fast timing of the announcement shouldn’t come as a surprise, as companies have been bracing for the decision ever since the SCOTUS vote was first leaked in May — not to mention Texas passing its own restrictive abortion law earlier this year.
Apple previously stated that it would cover medical expenses for employees in Texas who would need to travel across state lines to obtain an abortion. Amazon likewise announced in May that the company would provide up to $4,000 in travel costs for employees in need of out-of-state medical care, including abortion and gender-confirmation surgery. But unfortunately, because it’s Amazon, the goodwill only goes so far, and the policy does not apply to gig workers, warehouse employees, and delivery drivers who are not enrolled in the company’s healthcare plan.
With reproductive rights now officially under attack, we can expect to see more announcements like this in the coming weeks and months.
