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JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in America, and two athletic
apparel giants with a significant presence in the Northwest have
joined a host of companies saying they will cover the cost for
employees who need to travel out of state for abortions.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday officially reversed Roe v.
Wade, declaring that the constitutional right to abortion upheld
for nearly a half century, no longer exists.

Without federal protection, states are now responsible for
codifying their own laws surrounding abortion. Some have already
passed laws banning nearly all abortions.

JP Morgan told employees in a memo that if they live in states
where abortion is outlawed, the company will cover the cost of
travel to a state where it’s legal, beginning in July.

Nike and Adidas have also issued statements saying they’ll help
employees access abortion if the procedure is restricted where
they live. While abortion access is still protected in Oregon,
the two companies also have employees in states where abortion
will now be banned or severely restricted.

Nike, which is headquartered near Beaverton, says abortion is
covered in its family planning benefits. The athletic apparel
giant says it will cover travel and lodging expenses for
employees who can’t access services nearby.

Portland is home to the North American headquarters of Adidas,
which offered an even more specific commitment to its U.S.
employees in a statement released Friday.

“Our comprehensive medical plans will continue to cover
reproductive resources like contraception and abortion support,
pregnancy, fertility, and other family planning and building
services,” Adidas said in an emailed statement. “Where
availability of abortion services may not be accessible close to
home, our plan now covers travel and lodging expenses, up to
$10,000 per occurrence, for all U.S. employees enrolled in the
plan.”

A statement from Oregon’s largest corporate employer, Intel,
also signaled ongoing healthcare coverage for employees seeking
abortions, but its statement was more cautious and vague.

“Our U.S. healthcare options cover a wide range of medical
treatments, including abortion where permitted, as part of our
overall family planning benefits,” the statement said. “Intel
will continue to provide resources for those who need to travel
for safe, timely healthcare.”

After the initial statement from JP Morgan, numerous companies
issued statements and internal memos to employees. They include:

Disney
Paramount
Netflix
Condé Nast
Meta
Warner Bros
Comcast
Sony
Intuit
BuzzFeed
Duolingo
Dick's Sporting Goods
Patagonia
Box
Johnson & Johnson

These companies join a previous wave of corporations that had
made similar announcements after a Supreme Court opinion leaked
in early May suggesting this outcome.

Those companies include:

Amazon
Zillow
Levi Strauss
Apple
Lyft
Uber
Airbnb
DoorDash
Yelp
Citigroup
Tesla
Microsoft
Starbucks
Mastercard
Reddit
PayPal

"Access to reproductive health care, including abortion, has
been a critical factor to the workplace gains and contributions
women have made over the past 50 years," a May 4 statement from
Levi's said.

Media company Condé Nast said it will pay for travel and lodging
costs if employees need to travel out of their state for an
abortion, according to an internal memo from CEO Roger Lynch to
employees of the publisher of Vogue, New Yorker and Vanity Fair,
among others.

"It is a crushing blow to reproductive rights that have been
protected for nearly half a century," Lynch said in the memo
obtained by NPR.

Condé Nast said the company has made enhancements to its U.S.
health benefits to help employees and their dependents get
access to reproductive care regardless of where they reside.

Lynch went further in his email to exhort his employees to use
their journalism to respond in this moment.

"The most powerful way for us to respond to what's happening
right now is through our brands and the distinctive editorial
lenses with which they're covering today's news and the effect
it will have on society," he said. "Our values are clear in the
content and journalism we produce."

OPB reporter Kate Davidson and editor Rob Manning contributed to
this story.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

https://www.opb.org/article/2022/06/25/jp-morgan-disney-cover- employee-abortion-travel-costs/

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