The Businesses Backing Alabama's Abortion Restrictions

Abortion in Alabama is illegal, with the state enforcing a total abortion ban. The law, known as the Human Life Protection Act, was passed in 2019 and bans abortions at any stage of pregnancy. The act has been strongly opposed by Democratic politicians and activists, and some companies have faced boycott threats for their involvement in the state. Notably, Amazon, Chevron, Boeing, and Walmart have come under fire for donating to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's campaign, despite pledging support for abortion access.

Companies that financially supported Alabama's anti-abortion politicians

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, several major companies pledged to financially support their employees' access to abortion. However, some of these same companies have also donated to anti-abortion political campaigns and committees, including in Alabama. Here is a list of companies that have supported anti-abortion politicians in Alabama:

Amazon

Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the US, pledged to cover out-of-state abortion travel expenses for employees on its healthcare plan. However, this does not include contractors, who make up most of its workforce. Amazon's political action committee has donated to anti-abortion candidates such as David Valadao, a California Republican who co-sponsored a "life at conception" act, and Tony Gonzales, who has an A+ rating from the anti-choice group Susan B Anthony List. Amazon also donated $7,500 to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's campaign for re-election, and $50,000 to the Republican Attorneys General Association, which has defended anti-abortion laws.

Walmart

Walmart gave $2,500 to Steve Marshall's campaign for re-election in May 2022, weeks after the leak of the Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The company has faced backlash for donating to anti-abortion political committees while touting its commitment to gender equality.

Chevron

Chevron donated $5,000 to Steve Marshall's campaign in August 2022, weeks after the Dobbs decision was handed down. The company has been criticized for supporting politicians seeking to restrict abortion access while claiming to support principles like democracy and access to reproductive healthcare.

Boeing

Boeing contributed $2,000 to Steve Marshall's re-election campaign in October 2022. The company also donated $25,000 to the Republican Attorneys General Association, which has defended anti-abortion laws. Boeing is one of the top corporate donors to the Sedition Caucus, despite claiming to support fundamental democratic principles.

Eli Lilly

The pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly was a vocal opponent of a sweeping anti-abortion law in its home state of Indiana, arguing that it would make it difficult to attract talent. However, in the following weeks and months, Lilly financially supported Republican candidates and politicians who support abortion bans across the country, including many who celebrated the reversal of Roe v. Wade. The company has donated to Texas state senators and speakers who have opposed abortion rights and forced pregnancy for victims of rape. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Lilly has also donated to US senators who supported overturning abortion rights.

Meta

Meta, the company that owns Facebook, has said it would reimburse travel expenses for those who need to access out-of-state healthcare and reproductive services. However, the company has also supported candidates who co-sponsored a bill to ban abortions federally, such as Don Bacon of Nebraska and Bob Latta of Ohio.

Citigroup

Citigroup has said it would provide travel benefits to employees who need access to "adequate resources" for reproductive healthcare. However, the company has continued to support Republican candidates who support a national ban on abortion, like John Hoeven of North Dakota and Jerry Moran of Kansas.

Comcast

Comcast, the parent company of NBC Universal, has pledged to cover medically necessary travel expenses for employees seeking reproductive healthcare. At the same time, the company has made political donations to Republicans who support abortion bans, like Benjamin Cline of Virginia, who proposed legislation to commemorate the "Day of Tears" for the "59 million lives lost" due to abortion services being protected.

Companies that pledged support for abortion access

In the wake of the United States Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, many companies have pledged support for abortion access for their employees. Here are some examples of companies that have taken action to champion abortion access and reproductive healthcare:

Zeta Global

Zeta Global, a software solutions company, offers travel medical assistance as part of its employee health benefits. This allows team members to access care regardless of legal barriers in their state of residence.

Sojern

Sojern, a digital marketing company, offers a medical travel benefit in the form of a stipend that covers costs such as flights or lodging when employees need to travel for a medical procedure, including abortions, that they cannot access locally.

Amazon

Amazon, the second-largest employer in the United States, covers up to $4,000 annually for medical treatments, including abortions, for its corporate and warehouse workers.

Cigna

Health insurance provider Cigna expanded its travel reimbursement benefit to include abortion care, gender-affirming care, and behavioral health services in states with restricted access, ensuring comprehensive healthcare for its employees across all 50 states.

Citigroup

Citigroup covers travel expenses, including lodging, for its employees to "facilitate access to adequate resources" in response to changes in reproductive healthcare laws in certain states.

Comcast

Comcast, the world's second-largest broadcasting and cable television company, includes abortion care as part of its medical travel benefits. Their plan covers up to $4,000 in expenses per trip, three times a year.

CVS Health

CVS Health affirmed its commitment to providing flexible and affordable abortion care, stating that it will "continue to provide colleagues, clients, and consumers with the flexibility to choose medical and pharmacy benefits that best suit their needs."

Dick's Sporting Goods

Dick's Sporting Goods reimburses up to $4,000 in travel expenses related to abortion care for employees and their spouses or dependents enrolled in a medical plan. They also allow employees to travel with one support person to the nearest location where abortion care is legally available.

DoorDash

Food delivery platform DoorDash covers travel-related costs for employees and those enrolled in its healthcare plans who need to traverse abortion-care barriers in their area.

Douglas Elliman

Real estate company Douglas Elliman reimburses directly impacted employees who must travel out of state to obtain reproductive care, including abortions.

Google

Google implemented a no-questions-asked policy for relocation and updated its search engine to default to facilities that perform abortions when users search for "abortion clinics near me." The company also covers out-of-state travel costs and procedural costs for employees living in areas with limited access to abortion care.

IKEA

IKEA expanded its employee benefits to include paid time off, travel expense compensation, and reimbursement for medical services and procedures, including abortion, fertility, gender affirmation services, and bariatric surgery, that may be banned in employees' states.

Impossible Foods

Impossible Foods covers the cost of legal abortion-related services and travel costs, including room and board, meals, and childcare, for impacted employees.

Levi Strauss & Co.

Apparel company Levi Strauss opposes restrictions on access to reproductive healthcare and has sent grants to organizations providing direct assistance to impacted communities. The company covers abortion-related travel expenses for both full-time and part-time staff.

Live Nation Entertainment

Live Nation Entertainment matched Lizzo's $500,000 pledge to Planned Parenthood, resulting in a $1 million donation in support of abortion rights. The company also covers travel expenses for employees requiring access to women's healthcare services outside of their state and bail expenses incurred during peaceful protests.

Lyft

Ride-hailing service Lyft reimburses employees for abortion-related travel to an in-network healthcare provider more than 100 miles away. The company also covers legal fees for drivers transporting riders to facilities that perform reproductive healthcare and has donated $1 million to Planned Parenthood.

Meta

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, offers reimbursement for abortion-related travel for employees who need to cross state lines to access reproductive care, to the extent permitted by law.

Microsoft

Microsoft expanded its healthcare package to include abortion and gender-affirming care services for employees in the United States. The company covers travel and procedural costs for employees living in regions with limited availability.

Netflix

Netflix employees and their dependents have access to a $10,000 lifetime allowance for travel and medical care, including gender-affirming care, abortions, cancer treatments, and transplants. The company reimburses U.S. full-time employees who need to travel for abortions.

Nike

Nike reaffirmed its commitment to providing access to comprehensive family planning benefits, including abortions, for its employees. The company covers travel and lodging expenses if services are not readily available in an employee's state.

Starbucks

Starbucks covers travel expenses for employees seeking abortions and goes beyond by also reimbursing travel costs for employees needing gender-affirming surgeries if they are unavailable within 100 miles of their homes.

Tesla

Tesla covers travel expenses for employees who need to travel out of state for abortions. The company's health insurance and safety net programs include "travel and lodging support for those who may need to seek healthcare services that are unavailable in their home state."

Yelp

Yelp has a healthcare package that covers employees and their enrolled spouses and dependents who must cross state lines to access adequate care, including abortion. The company also flags pregnancy crisis centers on its app, which do not offer abortion procedures.

Zillow

The online real estate marketplace offers reimbursement of up to $7,500 for significant travel necessary to access healthcare, including reproductive services.

Companies that faced boycott threats

In 2019, companies operating in Alabama and Georgia faced boycott threats after the states passed near-total bans on abortion. These companies ranged from automakers like Toyota, Hyundai, and Mercedes-Benz to media companies like Netflix. Activists urged artists to boycott the Hangout Fest, a music festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

In response to the abortion laws, Maryland and Colorado officials told their staff not to travel to Alabama. People also took to Twitter to announce they were cancelling convention visits and beach vacations in the state.

The boycott threats were inspired by the partial success of similar boycotts targeting Indiana over its 2015 religious freedom law and North Carolina for its 2016 "bathroom bill" restricting the use of bathrooms by transgender people.

Some people, including Democrats, opposed the boycott of Alabama, arguing that it made no sense to economically punish one of the poorest U.S. states. Others said that no amount of economic pain would sway them from their fight to defend the rights of unborn children.

Amazon, Chevron, Boeing, and Walmart are among the companies that have faced backlash for donating to anti-abortion political committees while claiming to support gender equality and reproductive healthcare access. These companies also pledged to pay for employees to travel to access abortion.

Companies that supported abortion rights

In 2019, 200 CEOs denounced Alabama's abortion laws. While many companies have remained silent on the issue, some have taken a public stance and announced new policies to expand employees' access to abortions.

Live Nation

The concert promoter pledged to cover bail costs for any employees arrested for protesting peacefully against the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Live Nation will also cover travel expenses for abortion services outside their employees' home state and match Lizzo's $500,000 donation to Planned Parenthood.

Amazon

The e-commerce company said it will cover up to $4,000 in travel costs for abortions. The offer applies to corporate and warehouse workers who can't legally access abortion care within 100 miles.

Cigna

The healthcare and insurance company told CBS News it's expanding travel reimbursement for abortion care, gender-affirming care, and behavioral health services in states with restricted access.

Douglas Elliman

The real estate company expanded out-of-state healthcare coverage for “employees likely to be directly impacted” by the Supreme Court ruling. Douglas Elliman will also reimburse agents and staff for abortion-related travel.

Google

The tech company now allows employees in impacted states to apply for relocation “without justification”. Google will also cover travel expenses for full-time employees who travel out of state for medical procedures not available where they live and work.

Levi Strauss

The denim company announced it is contributing grants to the Center for Productive Rights, Afiya Center, and ARC-Southeast, which all assist people seeking reproductive care and other communities. Levi Strauss also covers abortion-related travel costs for workers in restricted states.

Lyft and Uber

The ride-sharing companies Lyft and Uber have said they will provide legal support for drivers if they face lawsuits for driving passengers to get an abortion. Lyft also pledged to donate $1 million to Planned Parenthood.

Starbucks

Starbucks has announced expanded health benefits to pay for travel fees incurred by workers seeking an abortion if the procedure is unavailable near where they live.

Mastercard

Mastercard has joined the list of companies that will cover the travel costs of employees leaving their home state to seek an abortion.

Companies that remained silent

While some companies have taken a stand against Alabama's abortion law, others have remained notably silent.

In 2019, when Alabama passed the Human Life Protection Act, which imposed a near-total ban on abortion, many companies chose not to comment. This silence was in stark contrast to the reactions of companies like Lyft, which pledged to donate $1 million to Planned Parenthood and set up a legal fund for drivers who may be sued for taking people to abortion clinics, and Uber, which also created a legal fund for its drivers.

The silence from big companies in Alabama speaks volumes, especially considering that some companies regularly profess their support for women's rights on social media. In addition, some companies have even financially supported politicians who back anti-abortion laws. For example, Amazon, Chevron, Boeing, and Walmart pledged to pay for employees to travel to access abortion but also donated to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's campaign, who supports the state's near-total ban on abortions.

While these companies may not have publicly supported Alabama's abortion law, their silence and, in some cases, indirect financial support, can be seen as a form of complicity.

It is worth noting that some companies may choose to remain silent to avoid economic backlash or because they do not see abortion as an important enough issue to take a stand on. However, this silence can also be interpreted as a failure to uphold the values they publicly claim to support, such as gender equality and women's rights.

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