US firms, including Amazon, Meta, Disney, pledge to pay staff travel expenses for abortions

Washington: Major American companies including the likes of Disney, JP Morgan and Facebook owner Meta have announced that they will cover employee travel expenses for abortions, as millions of US women face restricted access after the Supreme Court ruling that overturned the constitutional right to abortion, BBC reported on Sunday.

The judgement paves the way for individual states to ban the procedure of abortion.

Other firms, such as Amazon, had already announced similar moves.

The judgment is being seen as detrimental to women's health preventing them from making choices regarding their own health, especially for women belonging to poor families. But since the ruling a growing number of companies have confirmed they will cover travel costs through their health insurance plans for employees who leave their home state to get an abortion.

Disney said it had told employees it recognised the impact of the Supreme Court ruling and remained committed to giving them "comprehensive access" to affordable healthcare, including family planning and reproductive care, "no matter where they live".

Disney employs around 80,000 people at its resort in Florida, where the governor has already signed into law a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which is scheduled to take effect on 1 July.

Banking giant JP Morgan also told its US employees it would cover travel expenses for medical services, including "legal abortions", according to a staff memo, dated 1 June.

Another leading US investment bank, Goldman Sachs, also said it would cover travel expenses for employees who needed to go to another state to get an abortion from 1 July, according to Reuters.

Social media company Meta said it intended to reimburse travel expenses where permitted by law, "for employees who will need them to access out-of-state health care".

Other companies which have indicated they will take similar steps include Vogue publisher Conde Nast, jeans brand Levi Strauss, and ride hailing companies Lyft and Uber. (UNI)