A British company is leading the way following the overturning of a landmark case that legalised abortion in the States.
Digital strategy agency Croud has ensured all its US-based employees who are now forced to travel out of state to legally access abortion services will be fully reimbursed for their travel.
In a memo to all staff the company said: “As a business, we respect a person’s right to choose and make decisions that are appropriate for their lives and personal circumstances.
“On this basis, Croud is committing to support any employee who lives in a state with restrictive abortion laws, with travel costs to their closest non-restrictive state.”
The company, which is headquartered in London, has also offered to support any request for those affected with help and advice as well as providing “in-person therapists”.
The move came as US companies scramble to join Croud in their support of employees affected by the overturning of Roe v Wade by the US Supreme Court last week.
Most companies already cover abortion care in their health plan, but a number of major employers are set to expand their benefits to include travel costs following last week’s decision.
The ruling last week by the Republican-stacked nine-judge panel robs millions of women of reproductive rights that had been established for nearly a half-century.
They include victims of rape and incest.
The decision mirrored a draft opinion leaked last month showing the court was set to overturn the Roe v Wade ruling and the 1992 Planned Parenthood vs Casey.
It is the most consequential Supreme Court decision in decades and will transform women's reproductive health landscape in America.
In the future, abortion rights will be determined by individual states unless Congress acts.
Within minutes of the ruling being announced, thousands took to the streets throughout the states.
Hundreds gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court.
Of the 50 states, 26 are to ban abortion.
Eighteen states already have restrictive abortion laws in place.
In the 5 - 4 majority opinion ruling, Justice Samuel Alito wrote: "We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled.
"The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely — the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
"Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences.
And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.
"It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives."
