US President Joe Biden said on June 24 that the country was set back 150 years on this day.
In the early morning of June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court announced the overturn of two judgments, including Roe v. Wade, which had been leaked for a long time, representing women’s right to abortion-the basic health right to control their own bodies- ─Losing the precious constitutional umbrella of the past 50 years.
Many states in the Midwest and Southeast of the United States have passed laws banning abortion, which will take effect following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. From now on, it is illegal for women living in these states to have an abortion. In some states, doctors who have abortions for these women can face up to 99 years in prison, ten times as long as a rapist.
Biden is angry. In his speech at the White House, he was off-script for a time, and he directly accused the Supreme Court that the legal basis and precedent cited in this decision came from the 19th century, “it simply set American human rights back 150 years!” And it was not only Biden who was angry, but also the technology industry and other United States. Well-known companies from all walks of life.
Protect not just employees, but users too
“Over 55% of Airbnb hosts are women, making us a platform to empower millions of women,” the 2021 statement reads. Not only that, female employees account for nearly half of Airbnb, and Airbnb has long since made the company’s medical insurance cover employee maternity expenses. Also in 2021, Airbnb directly includes platform hosts into the scope of protection. When Texas passed an anti-abortion bill, Airbnb took action, pledging that if hosts were threatened by the bill, the company would provide the necessary financial help to cover possible legal and travel costs. “If other jurisdictions in the United States have similar laws, our commitment extends to those areas as well.”
In addition to Airbnb, the two largest ride-hailing companies in the United States, Uber and Lyft, have also expanded their abortion procedures reimbursement policies from employees to platform economic participants. The companies said that if a driver was involved in a legal storm for carrying a passenger for an abortion, the company would send legal personnel to support it.
Microsoft
After the news came out, a Microsoft spokesperson told the media that the company has provided employees and their families with the most comprehensive reproductive rights protection, and “we adhere to these policies unswervingly.” In May, the Supreme Court prepared to overturn the “Roe v. Wade” memorandum leaked, which caused great controversy at the time. Also in May, Microsoft announced a health care reimbursement program for employees and dependents, and increased travel expenses for abortion or sex-change surgery (surgery fees included).
Microsoft said in a statement that the company “will continue to do everything under the law to protect the rights of our employees and support them in accessing the critical health care they need, including abortion and gender confirmation.”
Melinda Gates, co-president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, denounced the Supreme Court’s decision as a “severe retrogression”: “A government that has never guaranteed gender equality reaches into the most intimate corners of women’s lives, telling her The right to choose your body is no longer yours.”
Other tech companies
Zillow, an online real estate platform, made it clear that if an employee needs fertility surgery and medical services, but is restricted by local laws and has to go to another state for medical treatment, the company will provide a single subsidy of up to $7,500, regardless of whether the surgery is voluntarily chosen by the employee or by a doctor and a doctor. Professional advice or request.
And Netflix’s subsidy has been increased to $10,000 a single time, and it covers employees and family members-Netflix’s recent layoffs have been quite ruthless, and this time, its support for abortion rights has barely regained some face.
Cloud storage company Box’s official community account directly stated that it was “disappointed” by the Supreme Court’s decision and reiterated that in addition to paying employees for abortion procedures, it also provides paid leave.
Others offering similar financial support include Apple, Amazon, Yelp, eBay, SurveyMonkey, Twilio, Bumble, and more.
entertainment industry
The tech industry tends to congregate in relatively liberal California and New York, and it’s no surprise that it bucks the Supreme Court. In bad times, it is a little gratifying and surprising that some companies with deep roots in conservative states, especially entertainment giants such as Disney, also stood firm behind their female employees for the first time and supported them in deciding on their own bodies. right.
Disney promised to provide travel reimbursement for employees to perform abortions in different places. “We deeply recognize that today’s ruling will have a huge impact on the quality of medical and health services for all employees, no matter where they live.” Disney’s blatant “naysayer” significance very important. According to public information, Disney has nearly 200,000 full-time employees worldwide, including 80,000 in Florida alone.
▲ Orlando Disney parade actors. (Source:Unsplash）
Florida is a legal state for abortion, which makes it the most convenient destination for residents of many surrounding states that prohibit abortion. Nearly 80,000 abortions were performed last year, 4,873 of which were performed by out-of-state residents, according to Florida’s health care regulator. Florida also has the third-highest abortion rate in the U.S., an exception to all Republican states that are more abortion-friendly.
However, the situation has taken a turn for the worse in the past few months: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law in April to tighten the abortion rights bill, shortening the legal pregnancy time from 6 months to 3.5 months; at the same time, the conservative forces in Florida have continued to grow, and the possibility of the future cannot be ruled out. Tighten abortion rights once more. Under this premise, Disney’s resistance, at least at this stage, guarantees the basic health rights of female employees.
Paramount Pictures’ Office of the CEO and Chief Human Resources Officer also sent a letter to all U.S. employees, pledging to use the company’s financial and legal resources to protect employees’ autonomy in medical services and personal health. “We know that many of our colleagues have seen the Supreme Court decision. Considering that abortion rights protections will henceforth depend on the outcome of state legislation, we enter a period of legal and policy uncertainty. In the face of uncertainty, we assure you that the Ramon won’t change.”
Paramount will continue to provide employees with a variety of reproductive health protection policies, including unlimited choice of contraception, medical services for abortion and unintended abortion, and travel reimbursement; in vitro fertilization, egg freezing and other reproductive protection and extended services reimbursement; adoption and surrogacy services Reimbursement; free and private reproductive medical consultation services, etc.
SONY Pictures, Comcast, Warner Bros., Discovery Channel and many other entertainment giants have also expressed their full support and protection of employees’ autonomy in reproductive health and reimbursement for abortion and other surgeries following the news.
(This article is written by play Reprinted with permission; source of the first image: Dazhi Image)
