Starbucks will soon cover travel expenses for US employees seeking abortions and gender-affirming surgeries, a top executive for the company shared on Monday.
Employees who require such services but don’t have access within 100 miles (160km) of their homes will be eligible to have the cost of travel reimbursed by the company.
The coffee company joins Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and several other corporations in offering to cover travel costs for employees seeking abortions as the fate of Roe v Wade hangs by a thread.
Companies have been taking such initiatives following the recent leak of a draft US Supreme Court opinion that suggests Roe, the landmark 1973 decision that guaranteed the constitutional right to abortion, may soon be overturned.
Sara Kelly, Starbucks acting executive vice president of partner resources, , ‘regardless of where you live or what you believe, partners enrolled in Starbucks healthcare will now be offered reimbursement for eligible travel expenses when accessing abortion or gender-affirming procedures when those services are not available within 100 miles of a partner’s home.’
Noting the landmark Supreme Court decision may be overturned, Kelly continued: ‘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.’
The new benefit will also be available to dependents of employees who use the company’s health care plan.
Starbucks employees about 240,000 people in the US. The company has not yet shared when the new benefit would begin for employees.
The company has a reputation for taking on liberal causes, and has supported same-sex marriage and transgender rights. Its current health insurance has covered gender-reassignment surgery since 2012. It has covered other gender-affirming surgeries, like hair transplants or breast reductions, since 2018.
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