Disney Will Cover Travel Expenses For Employees’ Abortions

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mickey proposing to minnie in front of cinderella castle at disney world

Credit: Disney

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in a landmark decision on Friday. According to the Associated Press, the decision to allow states to make their own abortion laws will effectively ban abortion in about half the states.

Related: Americans Care More About Depp-Heard Trial Than Abortion, Report Says

AP reports that most Americans support Roe v. Wade, according to polls taken after the draft opinion overturning Roe leaked in February. The leak of Justice Samuel Alito’s draft was historic and unprecedented.

Official portrait of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito
Credit: The Supreme Court of the United States

Joining Justice Alito are Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Former President Donald Trump appointed conservative Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Coney Barrett. Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan dissented.

The Walt Disney Company has historically supported the right to choose. In 2019, former CEO Bob Iger threatened to pull filming out of Georgia when a strict abortion law was brought forward.

bob iger
Credit: Disney

The Walt Disney Company stayed silent about abortion access after the Supreme Court decision leaked in February. But today, in an internal memo to all of its United States employees, Disney promised to support any employee seeking an abortion.

Journalist Matthew Belloni tweeted the memo on Friday:

It’s all eligible employees, per internal memo here:

The relevant section of the memo reads that Disney “remains committed to providing comprehensive access to quality and affordable care for all of our employees, cast members and their families, including family planning and reproductive care, no matter where they live.”

Bob Iger (left) and Bob Chapek (right) at Galaxy's Edge
Credit: Disney

Ashley Carter, journalist with Spectrum News 13, spoke to a Disney spokesperson who confirmed that employees living in states where abortions are banned will be able to travel out-of-state for abortion care:

According to a Disney spokesperson, employees unable to access care in one location have affordable coverage for receiving similar care in another location and that travel benefit covers pregnancy-related decisions.

This is a major decision given that thousands of Walt Disney Company employees live and work in Florida at Walt Disney World Resort. Florida does not have a trigger law, so abortion until viability is still legal in the state. A 15-week ban is scheduled to take effect on July 1, according to Politico.

Related: The Battle Between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney’s Reedy Creek

Ron_DeSantis,_Official_Portrait,_113th_Congress
Credit: State of Florida Office of the Governor

However, abortion rights are further at risk in Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis has stated he believes that pro-life protections are “based in science” and “who we are as a society.”

When the 15-week abortion ban was passed in April, Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez said:

“Life is precious and children are a God-given gift. That is why House Bill 5 is so important, as it provides added protections for the unborn child. Governor DeSantis and I remain steadfast in our commitment to defending the sanctity of innocent human life and protecting the unborn.”

Planned Parenthood of Florida and the ACLU filed a lawsuit against Governor DeSantis’s 15-week ban, but it’s uncertain how the Supreme Court opinion will impact that case.

Inside the Magic will report on any updates to Disney’s decision to cover travel expenses for employees’ abortion care. 

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