Following news that the U.S. Supreme Court officially overturned Roe v. Wade in a 6-3 decision on Friday (June 24), companies including Disney and Chase Bank immediately released statements noting that they would be covering travel expenses for employees who are forced to go out-of-state for abortion care.
While employees in Los Angeles and New York, largely seen as the geographic centers of the music industry, are in no danger of losing access to abortion care given strong state laws providing for it, those residing in states like Tennessee, Florida, Texas and Georgia, among others, are set to face a near-total lack of access through so-called “trigger laws” (as in Tennessee) designed to immediately ban abortion in the event of Roe being overturned by the high court. Others, including Texas and Georgia, already have strict laws limiting access to abortion but could institute further restrictions after being emboldened by Friday’s decision.
In the wake of the news, Billboard reached out to major music companies and organizations to see whether they’ve enacted policies in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision. Below is a roundup of their responses.
Sony Music Group:
Prior to the official announcement of the Supreme Court’s decision, Sony Music reaffirmed to employees that the company provides comprehensive care, including reimbursement for travel if required for access to healthcare services, including women’s reproductive healthcare and gender-affirming care.
Walt Disney Company:
The Mouse House has a large number of employees in Florida, where a 15-week ban on abortion was already slated to go into effect on July 1 (abortions are currently legal up to the 24th week). In an internal memo released Friday, Disney said it has “processes in place so that an employee who may be unable to access care in one location has affordable coverage for receiving similar levels of care in another location.” In addition to family planning (including “pregnancy-related decisions”), the benefit covers medical situations related to cancer treatments, transplants and rare disease treatment.
Warner Music Group:
A memo sent by WMG leadership to U.S. employees on Friday obtained by Billboard states that the company believes “all women have the right to control their reproductive health, and that includes access to health services enabling them to exercise that right, no matter where they live” and is “committed to taking the appropriate steps to provide practical support to our people who need access to health services,” though no specific policy was announced. The memo also said WMG is supporting the Center For Reproductive Rights and will match employee donations to the organization through July 31.
