'It really comes down to equal access to care,' Yelp to offer U.S. workers abortion travel benefit

Record ID: 1671563

  • Title: 'It really comes down to equal access to care,' Yelp to offer U.S. workers abortion travel benefit
  • Date: 5th May 2022
  • Summary: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (MAY 5, 2022) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS PROFANITY*** (SOUNDBITE) (English) YELP, CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER, MIRIAM WARREN, SAYING: "Well, abortion has always been a covered benefit in our health care plan. And when restrictive abortion bans like Texas's (bill) SB 8 came to pass, we recognized that in order to provide equal access to care for all of our employees, we would have to do more. And that more really looks like a travel benefit, so that if someone is in a state where they can't access the reproductive health care that they need, they can go to another state to get it. And we will reimburse the travel costs, including hotel and other associated costs." NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (RECENT - MAY 3, 2022) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RALLY IN NEW YORK'S FOLEY SQUARE OVER LEAK FROM U.S. SUPREME COURT REGARDING MAKING ABORTION ILLEGAL SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (MAY 5, 2022) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) YELP, CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER, MIRIAM WARREN, SAYING: "I think it really comes down to equal access to care. You know, in order to safeguard employees and make sure that they can get the health care that they need no matter what state they live in, we need a benefit like this. And I happen to think that other companies should consider doing the same if they care about equal access for all of their employees. Also, when you think about this issue, it really is an equity issue as well. When you have a population that's disproportionately impacted by a decision such as this one, that would really sort of, you know, reduce someone's ability to have liberty and choice over their own bodies and decisions about their own families, which frankly, should be limited to decisions that are made between women and their doctors, I think it becomes all that more important for companies to step in and make sure that they're taking care of their employees. And, you know, this particular issue is an equity issue because it impacts women's careers and their lives in a big way. And I think that for companies who care about issues of diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging, they can't sit by and be silent on this issue because it really does impact every aspect of a woman's life."
  • Embargoed: 19th May 2022 22:06
  • Keywords: Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court Yelp abortion employees pregnancies travel benefit
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Company News Markets,Economic Events,United States
  • Reuters ID: LVA003607105052022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Yelp, Inc said on Thursday (May 5) it will cover expenses for its employees and their dependents who need to travel to another state for abortion services starting next month, making it the latest U.S. company to offer similar benefits to its workers.
    The crowd-sourced review platform for restaurants and other businesses will provide travel benefits to its U.S. employees who need to travel out of states like Texas and Oklahoma that have restricted access to abortion services.
    "Yelp is a distributed workforce, and we have employees in all 50 states, and we hire people to work remotely from wherever they might be," said Miriam Warren, Yelp's chief diversity officer. "And so having a benefits package that is comprehensive and that applies to people no matter where they live and recognizes all of their attendant health care needs, I think is really important, and it absolutely is, you know, part of the value proposition of coming to work at Yelp."
    Other companies, such as Amazon, Apple, HP Enterprise, Levi’s, Match, Salesforce, have pledged to offer similar support to their Texas-based employees.
    Uber and Lyft announced that they will coordinate with healthcare providers in Texas and Oklahoma and offer rides to clients seeking out-of-state abortions, including paying fees of drivers fined for transporting a people to abortion clinics.
    Dating app Bumble opened a fund for Texan residents who need help paying for out-of-state abortions.
    Citigroup in March started covering travel expenses for employees who go out of state for abortions, becoming the first major U.S. bank to make that commitment.
    Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt on Tuesday signed a bill that makes it illegal to perform an abortion in the state except in medical emergencies, penalizing those who do with up to $100,000 in fines and 10 years in prison.
    The Supreme Court is due to rule by the end of June on a case involving a Republican-backed Mississippi law that gives its conservative majority a chance to undermine or even repeal the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.
    (Production: Aleksandra Michalska)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register