Most Americans Support Companies Funding Out-Of-State Abortion Access, Poll Finds – Forbes
Topline
Companies’ efforts to support abortion access in light of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade are largely popular with Americans, a new Morning Consult poll finds, with a narrow majority supporting them funding out-of-state travel for employees’ abortions as such measures come under attack by Republican lawmakers.
Pro-abortion rights demonstrators gather in front of San Francisco City Hall on June 24 in San … [+]
Key Facts
The poll (conducted June 30 – July 2 among 2,210 U.S. adults), found Americans are most supportive of companies allowing employees to relocate to another state if they’re concerned about abortion access, with 56% backing that benefit and only 23% opposing.
A more narrow 51% majority support companies funding medical services and travel costs for employees who travel out of state to access abortion care, as many major companies have pledged to do.
That’s far more than the 33% who oppose funding out-of-state travel, while 16% were undecided.
Respondents were more supportive than not about companies speaking out and taking action against the court’s decision, with 52% supporting donations to abortion rights groups and 49% supporting them making statements or signing on to letters that oppose the ruling (versus only 31% who opposed that).
Americans were far less in favor of companies who support the court overturning Roe, with only 29% supporting company statements that are in favor of the decision and 22% backing companies that prohibit employees from discussing the ruling at work (as Meta does).
They were also more in favor than not of companies relocating to another state that protects abortion access, with 47% backing businesses moving to a different state and 31% opposing.
What We Don’t Know
How GOP state lawmakers will respond to companies that take action against the Supreme Court ruling. Lawmakers in Texas have said they plan to introduce legislation that would punish companies aiding employees’ abortion, including potentially by barring them from doing business in the state, which other states could copy. Anti-abortion legislators in some states are also considering proposals that would bar residents from traveling out of state for abortions, the Washington Post reports, which means companies that aid those abortions could face consequences by extension.
Key Background
The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, giving states license to outlaw abortions and sparking a wave of abortion bans across the country. A number of major companies have responded to the ruling by vowing to fund employees’ abortion care if they have to go out of state, including AirBnB, Amazon, Apple, Citigroup, Disney, Goldman Sachs, Lyft, Microsoft, Netflix, Patagonia, Starbucks and Yelp. A number of Democratic governors have also encouraged companies to move their offices out of states that ban abortion and relocate to ones with stronger abortion protections, though no major companies have yet announced plans to do so. The Supreme Court ruling comes as businesses have increasingly come under more pressure by employees and consumers to speak out on political issues, with Disney coming under significant scrutiny for its initial reluctance to oppose Florida legislation known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which it later came out strongly against. That political speech had already started coming at a cost for companies, however: Florida lawmakers retaliated against Disney by dissolving a special district that controls Walt Disney World, for instance, and Texas lawmakers had vowed to take action against companies like Citigroup and Lyft that funded out-of-state abortions even before the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Further Reading
These Are The U.S. Companies Offering Abortion-Related Benefits (Forbes)
Americans Want the Corporate Sector to Support Abortion Rights and Access (Forbes)
Businesses that help employees get abortions could be next target of Texas lawmakers if Roe v. Wade is overturned (Texas Tribune)
Democrats look to recruit businesses from red states restricting abortion (Politico)