Woodkirk Stone
Top line
Dozens of companies (see full list below) criticized Texas’ near-total abortion ban on Tuesday, saying in an open letter that restrictions on reproductive care would be “bad for business” and harm the state’s workers, customers and economy – marking the biggest outcry yet in the business community over the controversial Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB 8).
Abortion rights activists gather at the Texas State Capitol on September 11 in Austin, Texas.
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Highlights
The letter, published through the Don’t Ban Equality organization, does not specifically mention SB 8, but indicates that any type of restriction on access to “comprehensive reproductive care”, such as restrictions on abortion “threatens health, independence and economic stability. of our workers and our customers.
State abortion restrictions that were in place before SB 8 took effect have already had a negative impact on the state’s economy, companies say, citing figures from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research which found that the existing restrictions cost the state of Texas an estimated $ 14.5 billion annually in economic losses.
Abortion and other restrictions that threaten gender equality put “our families, communities, businesses and the economy at risk,” the letter says.
Citing sources close to the case, the the Wall Street newspaper reports that Starbucks and Microsoft were among the companies that declined to sign the letter.
Crucial quote
“Put simply, policies that restrict reproductive health care go against our values ​​and are bad for business,†the companies wrote. “It hurts our ability to create diverse and inclusive labor pools, recruit the best talent in all states, and protect the well-being of all the people who make our businesses thrive on a daily basis. “
Large number
105 billion dollars. This is the approximate amount per year that state-level restrictions on abortion cost state economies, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. The organizers of the letter told the the Wall Street newspaper, who first pointed out the open letter, that their efforts were in part aimed at dissuading other states from copying Texas abortion restrictions and passing similar legislation, as several have already signaled their intention to do so. to do.
Complete list
The 52 companies that signed the letter are Yelp, Lyft, Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia, Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, Box Inc., Asana, Madewell, Bumble, Benefit Cosmetics, Amalgamated Bank, Stitch Fix, Seventh Generation, Zendesk Inc., Atlassian Corp., Everlane, The Body Shop, Capgemini Invent, Momentive, OJO Labs, La Colombe Coffee Roasters, Adya Partners, Syzygy Plasmonics Inc., MMLaFleur, Brenda Thompson Communications, Visceral, Luminary, Clean Yield Asset Management, Playful Studios / BetRed Stories, BSR, VICE Media Group, HarbourView Equity Partners, mara hoffman, Michael Stars, Civitech, Farmgirl Flowers, Medicines360, Houndstooth Coffee, Glossier, Mercury Fund, WP Engine, Clare V., Adasina Social Capital, Trillium Asset Management LLC, Spot Insurance Inc., People at the Center, Burton Snowboards, Earth Equity Advisors, LLC, Gather Voices, The Pill Club, IFundWomen and The Cru.
Key context
SB 8 bans almost all surgical abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, marking the most extreme abortion restrictions to come into effect in the United States since the Roe v. Wade in 1973 and guaranteeing the legal right to abortion. While similar nationwide abortion bans have been overturned, SB 8 has so far avoided the same fate by controversially stipulating that only private citizens can enforce the law by bringing lawsuits against anyone. who “help and encourage” an abortion – as some are now beginning to do. . The companies open letter comes after some companies have already taken individual positions against the law: Bumble and Match launched funds to cover abortion costs in Texas after the law came into effect, while Uber and Lyft offered to pay legal fees for one of their drivers sued for transporting people to abortions under the law. (While Bumble and Lyft signed Tuesday’s letter, Uber and Match didn’t.) Salesforce, Inc. also said it will help relocate employees who wish to leave Texas in light of the law. , and Apple has reportedly offered to pay the medical bills for Texas. employees who must travel out of state to have an abortion and said they “actively monitor” legal challenges against the law. Neither company signed Tuesday’s letter.
Further reading
Texas abortion law faces reluctance from some companies (Wall Street Journal)
Bumble and Match launch funds to cover costs of abortion in Texas (Forbes)
Lyft and Uber offer to pay legal fees for drivers sued under Texas abortion law (Forbes)