Tech Companies’ Reactions to US Abortion Ban

The Supreme Court of the United States has made a decision that has shocked and outraged a large section of the American community. This is the annulment of the historic judgment known as Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed the right to abortion in the country since 1973. The ruling means that access to abortion medical procedures will no longer be a constitutional right, but that each state must establish its legal guidelines for this issue.

Missouri and Texas have been quick to impose abortion bans and restrictions. Analysts believe that at least half of the states in this nation will have the same position and abortion will be prohibited in them.

The decision results in millions of women being deprived of the possibility of safely terminating their pregnancy if they so wish. "A tragic error by the Supreme Court," assured President Joe Biden, who has made clear his government's disagreement with the legal ruling.

According to data provided by a CBS News/YouGov poll, conducted in the days after the ruling, 59% of American adults disapprove. For their part, 67% of the women surveyed disagree, compared to 33% who approve of the decision.

The measure, which represents a step back from a legislative point of almost 50 years ago, has generated harsh statements against it by figures from various fields, such as politicians, athletes, artists and even large US corporations. Several of the latter have not only shown their discontent, they have also announced strategies to support those employees who wish to access legal and safe abortion processes.

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In this article we will comment on the statements and positions taken by some of the most important technology companies on this issue.

The right to abortion of employees of the technology industry

The prospect that abortion is prohibited in at least half of the states of the North American country means that many women who wish to interrupt their pregnancy legally and safely must move from one region of the nation to another.

Faced with this situation, companies such as Amazon, Google, Meta, Apple or Netflix announced that they have, or are working on measures, to support their employees through their health insurance plans, thus giving them the possibility of accessing medical procedures not available in their state of residence, such as abortion.

The technology giant Google affirms that it will support monetary employees who must travel to access the right to abortion. "This is a profound change for the country that deeply affects many of us, especially women," said Google's director of personnel, Fiona Cicconi, in an internal letter, released by the CNBC portal. "To support Googlers and their dependents, our US health insurance and benefits plan will cover out-of-state medical procedures if they are not available where an employee lives and works."

For its part, Amazon has announced that it will cover up to $4,000 in expenses for women who work in the company and who wish to terminate their pregnancy and cannot do so in their place of residence.

Meta (the company owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is another big corporation to add to this. The company affirms that it will support the travel expenses of the workers who must move to face the restrictions to interrupt their pregnancy.

“The Supreme Court ruling endangers the health and lives of millions of girls and women across the country. It threatens to undo the progress women have made in the workplace and strip women of economic power,” Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Meta, said in a Facebook post.

Netflix, Apple, JP Morgan and Tesla are other large companies that have announced that they are developing support plans similar to those already mentioned.

The weight of the decision

The ruling of the supreme court has not only generated protests and a divided political and social environment. Its effect in the future will go much further. According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, "limiting access to safe abortion costs lives and has a greater impact on women in the poorest and most marginalized communities." These statements are based on research and scientific data gathered by the WHO, which makes it clear that these types of measures are a severe blow to the most relegated and low-income groups.