Tesla is covering travel costs for employees going out of state for abortions.
On Friday, the company released its impact report, which stated that since 2021, it has provided “an expanded Safety Net program and health insurance offering that includes travel and lodging support for those who may need to seek healthcare services that are unavailable in their home state,” for employees.
According to the report, nearly a quarter, or 22%, of the company’s workers in the calendar year 2020 were female.
This report comes just after Politico published a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion on Monday indicating the high court intends to overturn Roe v. Wade. In Texas, the trigger law making illegal abortion would go into effect 30 days after its repeal. Nationwide protests have followed, including in Austin.
Just months before Tesla moved its headquarters from California to Austin late last year, Texas had enacted Senate Bill 8, which banned abortions after six weeks, before many know that they are pregnant.
With this offering, Tesla joins other Central Texas companies that have responded to abortion restrictions.
Dating app Bumble launched a fund in September to support access to abortion services and released a statement earlier this week saying they are “dismayed” by the Supreme Court’s draft decision. Amazon recently announced it will cover abortion-related travel costs for employees, though the benefit doesn’t extend to all workers, including those on “flex schedule” at the company’s warehouses or contract workers like delivery drivers and gig workers.
Citigroup also covers expenses for employees seeking out-of-state abortions. In March, Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, feel the letter to the company saying he would introduce legislation to bar local governments in Texas from doing business with companies that give travel benefits to employees seeking an abortion.
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