Starbucks has announced that it will cover travel expenses for those who have to travel more than 100 miles from their homes to get an abortion or gender-confirmation treatments.
The lucrative corporation released a notice to its staff on Monday, following the release of a leaked draft stating the plan for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade - the milestone 1973 case that established the right to abortion.
Per People, Sara Kelly, the acting executive vice president of partner resources, wrote: "Like many of you, I'm deeply concerned by the draft Supreme Court opinion related to the constitutional right to abortion that was first established by Roe v. Wade."
"I know this is weighing on many of you, so let me be clear upfront — regardless of what the Supreme Court ends up deciding, we will always ensure our partners have access to quality healthcare. And when actions impact your access to healthcare, we will work on a way to make sure you feel supported," She continued.
Kelly added that "regardless of where you live or what you believe" all of its 240,000 employees and their families will be reimbursed for travel costs "when accessing abortion or gender-affirming procedures" that are not attainable within 100 miles of their home.
"Whatever healthcare choice you believe is right for you and your family, you deserve access to those services and the benefits that Starbucks provides," she concluded.
The Seattle coffee giant is the latest corporation to respond to the Supreme Court revelation. It is joining companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple who have also pledged to pay for employees who need to travel more than 100 miles to get an abortion.
First reported by Reuters, Amazon declared to its staff on May 3 that it would cover up to $4,000 in travel and hotel expenses for employees who are forced to travel for non-life-threatening medical treatments, which include abortion and gender-confirmation procedures.
The firm's policy has been active since the beginning of the year and like Starbucks, it applies if an employee is more than 100 miles from the nearest treatment facility.
Also reported by the Seattle Times, Tesla is another company offering to pay travel costs for employees seeking out-of-state abortions.
Levi Strauss & Co., Yelp, and Citigroup have also pledged to pay travel costs, but only for Texas employees who seek abortions, as this is a response to a 2021 Texas law banning abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy.
