Just yesterday the Washington Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion in the United States, overturning the sentence Roe v. Wade 1973. The decision thus leaves states the power to establish their own abortion laws, including direct bans on all surgical and pharmacological abortions. According to the Guttmacher Institute’s analysis, they should be fine 26 states which should severely limit – or completely ban – abortion. A ban that went into effect with immediate effect in Louisiana, Missouri, Kentucky and South Dakota.
This decision, as you can imagine, has sparked the most disparate reactions around the world. In the hi-tech sector, for example, many companies have wanted to express their opinion on the matter. Undertaking, in some cases, a cover travel expenses for employees who will not be able to access abortion in the country of residence. But let’s find out what are the initiatives that Big Tech want to implement to guarantee this right to American women.
Right to abortion: Big Tech reactions to the Supreme Court ruling
Apple
“We support the rights of our employees to make their own decisions regarding their reproductive health. For over a decade, Apple’s comprehensive benefits have enabled our employees to travel out of state for medical treatment if it is not available in their home state. ” So a spokesperson for Apple announces the economic support of the company to all women who need to travel in order to access abortion. An advantage that can be enjoyed by all employees hired for at least 10 years.
Meta
The answer to Meta’s denial of the right to abortion is Sheryl Sandberg, COO of the company, who shared a long post on his Facebook profile. “I grew up listening to my mother’s stories about what women experienced in our country before Roe. My mother had a friend who left the country to have a safe abortion. But most women couldn’t afford to do that; some have had clandestine abortions, which all too often led to serious health complications and sometimes even death. After all, all women knew they could face impossible choices between controlling their future and their health and breaking the law “.
“I never thought my mother’s past would become my daughters’ future. I can’t believe I’m going to send my three daughters to college with fewer rights than I had, ”Sandberg continues. The Supreme Court ruling puts the health and lives of millions of girls and women across the country at risk. […] It will make it harder for women to fulfill their dreams. And it will have a disproportionate impact on women with fewer resources. This is a big setback. For ourselves, our daughters and each generation that follows, we must keep fighting. Together, we must protect and expand access to abortion ”. By virtue of this, Meta “to the extent permitted by law will pay travel expenses for employees who need access to health care and reproductive services in another state”.
Microsoft
“This is a sad day. Reverse Roe v. Wade is an unfair and unacceptable setback. And it puts women’s lives at risk, especially the most disadvantaged “. Like this Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, commented on the ruling of the Supreme Court of Washington, anticipating the statements of the tech giant. After Apple and Meta, in fact, Microsoft also declared that “it will continue to do everything possible under the law to support employees and their dependents in accessing critical health care – which already includes services such as abortion and gender affirmation assistance – regardless of where they live in the US “. a is limited in the state of residence of the employee.
This is a sad day. Reversing Roe v. Wade is an unjust and unacceptable setback. And it puts women’s lives at risk, especially the most disadvantaged.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) June 24, 2022
As for the choice to crack down on the right to abortion, the Big Tech seem to have quite clear ideas. Google’s chief people officer Fiona Cicconi, for example, he sent an email to all employees to inform them of the company’s position regarding the ruling. “Fairness is extraordinarily important to us as a company and we share concerns about the impact this ruling will have on people’s health, life and career – reads Cicconi’s email -. We will continue to work to make reproductive health care information accessible through our products and we will continue our work to protect user privacy. “
“To support Googlers and their dependents, our US benefits plan and health insurance cover out-of-state medical procedures that are not available where an employee lives and works. Googlers can also request the transfer without justification and those overseeing this process will be aware of the situation. ” In short, if the employees need to move to access the abortion, Google will take care of the transfer costs, so as to guarantee them access to a fundamental right for the world of women.
Yelp
Jeremy Stoppelman, CEO and co-founder of Yelp, said the Supreme Court ruling “puts women’s health at risk, denies them human rights and threatens to unravel the progress we have made towards gender equality in the workplace. from the time of Roe “. By virtue of this, the company has chosen to take sides in support of its employees. In fact, as early as April, Yelp expanded its health insurance coverage – which already included abortion assistance – to provide advantages of trip to employees Americans and their dependents who may need assistance outside the state in which they reside.
Today’s SCOTUS ruling puts women’s health in jeopardy, denies them their human rights, and threatens to dismantle the progress we’ve made toward gender equality in the workplace since Roe. Business leaders must speak out now and call on Congress to codify Roe into law.
— Jeremy Stoppelman (@jeremys) June 24, 2022
Uber
Immediately following the ruling on the annulment of the institutional right to abortion, Uber told employees that it grants them “a range of reproductive health benefits, including termination of pregnancy and travel expenses to access assistance. health “. But it’s not just the support to employees that the company promises to guarantee. Uber itself said: “We will also continue to support drivers by reimbursing legal fees if a driver is sued under state law for providing transportation on our platform to a clinic.”
The company put this policy in place last year after Texas passed the Senate Bill 8, a law banning abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. And it allows people to sue anyone who helps women access abortion, including doctors and the people they drive to accompany them to the clinic. In short, after Meta, Microsoft, Google and other giants, even Uber chooses to take the side of women.
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