Advocacy
The ‘Wokeness’ of Female Disney Characters
Many Disney characters considered ‘woke’ this century are women or girls. In ...
The overturning of Roe v. Wade is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half of the US, sparking companies to confirm healthcare policies with their employees
Backlash sweeps the US ever since the Supreme Court recently moved to end 50 years of federal abortion rights. In the wake of the ruling, several Hollywood companies are focusing on the protection of their employees’ reproductive rights. Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony, and Meta, for example, have pledged to provide travel costs for employees who are seeking abortion.
Disney has pledged to remain committed to providing its employees and their families access to quality healthcare, including family planning and reproductive care, no matter where they live.
Netflix already offers employees up to US$10,000 in travel reimbursement for cancer treatment, transplants, gender affirming care, or abortion through its US health plans, while Warner Bros. Discovery quickly expanded its healthcare benefits to cover transportation to access abortion and reporductive care for employees and their covered family members. The company’s chief people and culture officer, Adria Alpert Romm, wrote, “our number one priority is the wellbeing, health and safety of our employees.”
Paramount has always supported the choices of employees on health care, said CEO Bob Bakish in a note to employees. He confirmed the company’s intentions to cover travel costs for employees seeking abortions stating, “Reproductive health care through company-sponsored health insurance, including coverage for birth control, elective abortion care, miscarriage care, and certain related travel expenses if the covered health service, such as abortion, is prohibited in your area.”
Sony believes employees should have equal access to healthcare and medical services, including reproductive healthcare, regardless of their location. The company’s medical plans provide comprehensive care including reimbursement for travel if required to access services.
Social Media giant Meta said it will offer travel reimbursements but to the extent permitted by law, as some states that are instituting abortion bans could try to find ways to legally restrict people from travelling. A Meta spokesperson said, “We are in the process of assessing how best to do so given the legal complexities involved.”
