Disney will cover travel expenses for employees seeking abortions in wake of Roe v. Wade overturn
The Walt Disney Co. said Friday it will cover employee travel expenses related to abortions in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, which places the burden of abortion legality upon individual states to decide, the Washington Post reported.
What are the details?
CNBC obtained the memo sent to Disney employees, and the network reported that it read in part:
We recognize the impact that today’s Supreme Court ruling could have on many Americans and understand that some of you may have concerns about what that might mean for you and your families, as medical and family planning decisions are deeply personal.
Please know that our company remains committed to removing barriers and 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. In fact, we have processes in place so that an employee who may be unable to access care in one location has affordable coverage for receiving similar levels of care in another location. This travel benefit covers medical situations related to cancer treatments, transplants, rare disease treatment and family planning (including pregnancy-related decisions).
States now must determine the legality of abortions.
Disney employs 195,000 people worldwide, the Post said, adding that roughly 80,000 are in Florida.
Florida's governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, signed a bill outlawing abortions after 15 weeks — which goes into effect July 1 — that was patterned after Mississippi's 15-week ban at the center of Friday's Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade, Reuters said.
Anything else?
Disney and DeSantis have been at odds for some time.
In March, the Walt Disney Company released a statement in opposition to Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill — infamously and incorrectly referred to as the "Don't Say Gay" bill — which DeSantis has since signed into law.
The following month, DeSantis signed into law a bill revoking Disney's special district status in Florida. The law — set to take effect in June 2023 — strips Disney of self-governing privileges and a special tax status it's enjoyed for 55 years.