The Cavaliers, along with a number of other Cleveland-based sports franchises, announced Monday they will cover the costs for their employees to travel outside Ohio for reproductive health care services following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade last Friday.
“The Cleveland Cavaliers, Monsters, Charge, Cavs Legion, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Rock Entertainment Group stand for equality, and believe having full access to reproductive health care is a fundamental freedom of choice all women should have,” the franchises said in a statement posted on Twitter Monday.
“Prioritizing the well-being of our Team Members (employees) means to ensure they have the ability to make personal decisions about their health and future. We will now cover costs to travel outside Ohio for reproductive health care to the fullest extent permitted by law.
“We strongly support our Team Members’ right to make health care choices, and will continue to do so on our relentless pursuit for equal opportunity.”
The Cavaliers announcement comes after Ohio moved to ban abortions after six weeks in the state following the Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate a nearly 50-year precedent that federally protected the right to abortion. Under the new “heartbeat” law, abortion providers could face felony charges, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. The law has an exception to save the life of a patient but no exceptions for rape or incest.
The Cavaliers join a large contingent of athletes and other sports figures and organizations who have expressed their thoughts on Friday’s overturning, including Megan Rapinoe, Billie Jean King, Sue Bird, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Lewis Hamilton and ESPN’s Malika Andrews.
