This Bank Assures Employees It Will Pay For Travel To Receive An Abortion After Roe Overturned

JPMorgan Chase, one of the largest banks in the world, told its employees that the firm will cover expenses for employees who travel to other states where seeking an abortion is easier if needed.

In a memo distributed on June 1 to bank employees, JPMorgan assured them that it would cover the costs of an abortion in anticipation of the Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that guaranteed a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion.

“We will also expand our existing health care travel benefit, which today covers certain services such as organ transplants, to all covered health care services that can only be obtained far from your home,” JPMorgan told its staff.

According to the memo, this new policy will become effective in July and allow its employees to access healthcare services related to abortion.

On Friday, the Supreme Court delivered a 6-3 decision where the court's conservative justices joined together to annul Roe. Democrats reacted with anger at the ruling while Republicans cheered the decision as a victory for anti-abortion activists.

The three liberal justices -- Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer -- joined in a dissent where they accused the majority of abandoning the precedents of balancing a woman's interest in her own health and the state's interest in protecting "potential life."

The White House and state Attorney Generals huddled on Thursday to discuss ways to ensure women can get access to an abortion if the highest court overruled Roe. Meanwhile, blue states like California and New Jersey moved to expand protections for abortion rights in their backyards.

After a draft of the Roe decision was leaked in May and sparked an early backlash, many companies began planning how they would ensure female employees maintained access to abortion services. Among those that made clear they would do so were Starbucks, Tesla, Airbnb, Netflix, Levi Strauss & Co. and DoorDash.

Following news of the Roe decision, other companies including Disney and Buzzfeed similarly announced that they would cover the travel costs for employees who seek an abortion out of state.