WASHINGTON — Activist shareholders, seeking to galvanize support following a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion indicating that justices are poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, are pressing companies to explicitly explain how they will support their workers’ access to abortion and reproductive health services.
Investors say they’re optimistic following strong support for shareholder proposals on the issue coordinated by social impact fund Rhia Ventures, such as a proposal that asks retailers to address the patchwork of state laws on abortion access that’s likely to result if the Supreme Court backpedals on the landmark 1973 decision establishing a woman’s right to an abortion.
It calls on companies to disclose the business risks and costs that would arise by “enacted or proposed state policies severely restricting reproductive rights” and explain what steps management would take besides litigation and legal compliance to reduce risks of losing employees, such as covering their out-of-state travel expenses.
