Major companies keep mum on thorny abortion issue – for now

A LEAKED draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would abolish a nationwide right to abortion has thrust major companies into what’s arguably the most divisive issue in American politics.

But while some are signalling support for abortion rights, many want to stay out of it – at least for now.

Experts say it’s tough to navigate these waters. Companies are facing increasing pressure from social media and their own employees to speak out. And while some of them have weighed in on issues like LGBTQ rights, voting rights and gun control, the thorny issue of abortion could prove to be more challenging.

“This is the hottest of the hot potatoes,” said Allen Adamson, co-founder of marketing consultancy Metaforce. “While lots of issues are polarising, this is ground zero for polarisation. People are fanatically passionate one way or another.”

Despite the risks, major companies have waded into the abortion issue in the past. In 2019, more than 180 of them – including H&M, Slack and Glossier – signed an open letter that said restrictive abortion laws were against their values and “bad for business”.

A similar letter was signed by more than 60 companies last year in response to a Texas law banning abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy, forcing some women to travel out-of-state to access the procedure. Among others, jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co, the online reviews site Yelp, banking giant Citigroup, and ridehailing company Lyft pledged to cover travel costs for employees who have to travel long distances to access an abortion.

When the report of the draft court opinion set off a political firestorm this week, a few companies issued statements supporting abortion rights but stopped short of taking further action themselves.

“Overturning Roe v Wade will jeopardise the human rights of millions of women, who stand to lose the liberty to make decisions over their own bodies, ”Yelp said in a statement. “Turning back the clock on the progress women have made over the past 50 years will have a seismic impact on our society and economy.”

Many others have remained quiet. They include Netflix, PayPal, Microsoft, Patagonia, Target, Walmart and Apple, which is reportedly covering travel costs for its Texas workers through its medical insurance. Microsoft and the Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation, said it had no comment; the rest did not respond to requests for comment. The Business Roundtable, which represents some of the country’s most powerful companies, said it “does not have a position on this issue”.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, also did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment, though its chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, posted on her personal social media accounts on Tuesday that the document represents a “scary day for women all across the country”.

Adamson believes that many companies have held off weighing in on the Supreme Court’s draft because they want to wait to see the court’s final ruling.

“This gives companies a chance to think this through,” he said, noting that companies need to make a decision based on what the majority of their employees want.

Over the past few years, companies have added their voices to the Black Lives Matter movement and issues like same-sex marriage. After the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, dozens pledged to halt donations to lawmakers who objected to Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s victory, promises that turned out to be largely empty.

But taking a stance on controversial issues is seemingly becoming more challenging, oftentimes pitting companies against Republican lawmakers, who seem increasingly eager to push back.