As today’s Supreme Court decision to rule Roe v. Wade unconstitutional reverberated across the country, Hollywood companies and agencies responded in mass to assure their employees and staff remain protected, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Many companies including Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and agencies like WME, CAA, and UTA, forwarded statements emphasizing certain health protections and reimbursements for employees who may have to travel for reproductive health services.
The Hollywood Reporter confirms Netflix will continue supplying full-time employees with a $10,000 travel reimbursement allowance for varying health treatments, which includes abortion. Disney similarly promises to cover travel costs for staff who must seek pregnancy-related services elsewhere. Both Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery issued statements in emails to staff regarding their options.
“Across the country, we have entered a moment of profound uncertainty,” Paramount’s CEO Bob Bakish said in an email via The Hollywood Reporter. “In the face of this uncertainty, we want to be very clear about what will not change at Paramount.” Bakish detailed the various health policies employees receive including expenses for traveling for services “such as abortion” if they reside in an area where it is prohibited.
Adria Alpert Romm, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Chief People and Culture Officer, stated in an email that the company was “immediately expanding our healthcare benefits options to include expenses for employees and their covered family members who need to travel to access a range of medical procedures, including care for abortions, family planning and reproductive health,” via The Hollywood Reporter.
Some companies had been prepping policies as early as May. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jeremy Zimmer, CEO of UTA, emailed employees about similar travel reimbursements as they recently opened a headquarters in Tennessee, one of the states with anti-abortion laws in the works.
“As threats against women’s reproductive rights grow, we’re introducing an important new benefit,” Zimmer penned. “We’re doing this to support the right to choose that has been a bedrock of settled law for almost half a century.”
In addition to the television and film industry, Live Nation made a very public statement regarding its employees’ health options after the announcement. The music and event promotions company listed its exact policies on Instagram, which include covering traveling expenses for health procedures and other initiatives with artists such as Lizzo.
Abortion was deemed not protected federally after a 6-3 decision. Twenty-six states across the country including Texas, Missouri, Louisiana, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and both North and South Dakota, now have the ability to enact anti-abortion laws.