When Russia invaded Ukraine, many businesses were quick to make statements and take action. And there were plenty of companies that made similar stands on COVID-19 vaccinations and racial equality. But a new report has found that when it comes to abortion, most companies are staying out of the debate.
A new report from nonprofit The Conference Board found that only 10% of 300 public, private and nonprofit corporations surveyed have made, or plan to make, a public statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Roe vs. Wade and Casey vs. Planned Parenthood cases that established a constitutional right to abortion.
Most of the remaining 90% of corporations said they responded or plan to respond internally. Nearly a third said they do not plan to respond at all.
Only 26% of the corporations surveyed said they had received pressure to take a stand on reproductive rights. Those that did receive pressure said it came chiefly from individual employees or employee resource groups.
The survey included 49% public, 40% private and 11% nonprofit firms, and most (41%) had yearly revenues of less than $1 billion.
For companies responding internally, most chose to communicate existing health care benefits or offer to pay travel expenses for employees to obtain an abortion in a different state. The overturning of Roe opened the door for “trigger” laws that made abortion illegal in nearly half the country. The current Texas law, Senate Bill 8, bans the procedure after about six weeks of pregnancy.
Some businesses in Dallas-Fort Worth have issued statements about helping their employees access abortions and reproductive health services, including J.P. Morgan Chase, Match Group and Salesforce. Policies vary from paying travel expenses for out-of-state abortion procedures to relocating employees entirely. Others like AT&T, Walgreens and Southwest Airlines said their health care policies would not immediately change. These companies took no stance on abortion rights specifically.
Before the Supreme Court’s Roe decision broke this June, Texans were split almost directly down the middle on whether the ruling should be overturned. A more recent survey found that 60% of Texans are opposed to making medication abortion a felony.
According to the Conference Board survey, corporations deciding whether to respond to the Roe decision consulted legal services 63% of the time, closely followed by human resources and communications departments. Legal challenges and tax questions also complicate business decisions about how to support employee abortion access. Republican lawmakers in Congress have warned that they will try to bar Texas businesses from paying for abortions for employees.
Nationwide, companies are more willing to make public statements on other issues. Among The Conference Board survey respondents, 61% reported taking a public stance on racial equality and 44% reported taking a stance on LGBTQ+ rights.
