Firms to reimburse workers’ travel for abortions

Locally based companies Duolingo and Giant Eagle have joined a growing list of corporations nationwide promising to reimburse employees who must travel to receive abortions.

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, ending a longstanding constitutional right to abortion and leaving the procedure’s legality up to states, many companies have said they are developing plans to cover travel costs for employees living in states where abortion providers could soon be banned.

“It is extremely important to us that all our employees have access to the full spectrum of reproductive care, including abortion services,” Duolingo, a language-learning tech company headquartered in East Liberty, said in a statement. “We are updating our benefits to ensure every Duolingo employee in the United States can access reproductive healthcare, including reimbursement for any travel expenses necessary for accessing abortion services.”

Giant Eagle, the O’Harabased grocer, said in an emailed statement that it will offer travel reimbursements for “family planning services” and communicate more information to staff soon.

“We are committed to providing our team members access to comprehensive healthcare, including access to reproductive care. We join other businesses by committing to reimburse expenses for covered family members to travel between states to access family planning services,” the company wrote. “We will share specific details related to this offering with our Team Members in the coming days.”

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling last week, Duolingo CEO and cofounder Luis von Ahn suggested in a tweet Friday that his company would expand its enterprise “elsewhere” if Pennsylvania passes new legislation outlawing abortion. Abortion remains legal in Pennsylvania, but whether it remains so may rest on the outcome of the state’s gubernatorial race in November. The Republican nominee, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, wants abortion banned after six weeks of pregnancy and does not support exceptions, including in cases of rape and incest or when a pregnant person’s life is at risk.

“To all Pennsylvania politicians: I love that @duolingo is headquartered in Pittsburgh and that y’all use it as an example that successful tech companies can start here,” Mr. von Ahn wrote on Twitter. “If PA makes abortion illegal, we won’t be able to attract talent and we’ll have to grow our offices elsewhere.”

Duolingo and Giant Eagle’s pledges come after Dick’s Sporting Goods announced Friday that it will provide up to $4,000 in reimbursements to employees traveling for reproductive care. The Findlay-based retailer specified that those funds will also be available to any spouse or dependent enrolled in its medical plan as well as one accompanying support person.

Other major U.S. companies that have said they will pay travel costs include Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Comcast, Nike, Meta and Yelp.