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What Are Big Corporations Saying About Abortion?

¿Qué posición han tomado las grandes empresas con respecto al aborto?

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Most big corporations have chosen to remain silent on abortion after a Supreme Court draft was leaked last Monday that, should it go forward, would leave its regulation to the states, many of which are legislating to ban it.

So far, only a handful of corporations have come out in favor. Some, such as Amazon and Citigroup, have even announced measures to support workers who want abortions in states that have passed restrictive abortion rights laws.

A long list of large corporations such as Walmart, major financial institutions, airlines, entertainment companies such as Walt Disney, or technology giants such as Microsoft have avoided taking sides or giving their opinion.

Traditionally, companies avoid making political pronouncements in order to avoid possible rejection by their customers or possible political reprisals.

This trend, however, changed significantly during the protests that erupted in the country in May 2020, following the death of George Floyd, which prompted the business world to publicly express its rejection of the events.

Recently, Walt Disney found itself in the middle of a controversy in Florida due to the law signed by Governor DeSantis prohibiting the discussion of sexual orientation and gender issues in schools up to third grade.

Disney tried to boycott the law, which resulted in a counter-offensive by the Florida legislature and the rejection of a large part of the population. The company also experienced a fall in the stock market, which probably contributed to the silence of large companies on the abortion issue.

Companies in favor of abortion

In late 2021, coinciding with a Texas law banning abortion after six weeks of gestation, more than 50 companies, including online review service Yelp, clothing manufacturer Patagonia and transportation app Lyft, signed a statement opposing the new legislation.

Some companies such as Lyft, Uber, or Levi Strauss have gone further and have introduced measures to support workers who need the procedure as part of their plan to expand medical coverage in regions where laws hinder abortion.

In reaction to the Texas lawmakers’ decision last December, cloud computing services company Salesforce offered to relocate its Texas employees to locations in other states.

Meanwhile, online shopping giant Amazon was the latest company to join these measures and on Monday announced that it will cover the travel costs of its female workers in the United States.

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