Warning on firms’ cost vow
A GROWING number of large firms in the US have said they will cover costs for workers who must travel to get abortions.
But legal experts warned businesses could be exposed to lawsuits and criminal liability.
Amazon, Apple, Lyft, Microsoft and JPMorgan Chase & Co were among companies that announced plans to provide abortion benefits through their health insurance plans.
Health insurer Cigna, Paypal, Alaska Airlines and Dick’s Sporting Goods also want to bring in reimbursement policies.
It comes after last week’s US Supreme Court decision to overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that had legalised abortion nationwide. The decision upheld a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks.
Legislators outlined a series of proposals, including a bill that would bar companies from doing business in Texas if they pay for residents of the state to receive abortions elsewhere.
But healthcare law expert Professor Robin Fretwell Wilson, of Illinois University, said: “If you can sue me as a person for carrying your daughter across state lines, you can sue Amazon for paying for it.”
Meanwhile, a judge in Louisiana yesterday temporarily blocked the Republican-led state from enforcing laws banning abortion.
Orleans district court judge Robin Giarrusso issued a temporary restraining order after an abortion clinic in Shreveport sued amid claims the ban violated the state’s constitution.