Dick's Sporting Goods to reimburse travel expenses for employees seeking abortions

In the wake of Friday’s decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, ending the nation’s constitutional protections for abortion and leaving the decision up to each state,

the Pittsburgh-based Dick’s Sporting Goods national chain of stores announced support for its employees seeking abortions.

In response to the anti-abortion ruling, Dick’s Sporting Goods president and CEO Lauren Hobart said on her LinkedIn page that Dick’s will provide up to $4,000 in travel expense reimbursement for its employees seeking abortions to travel to the nearest location where that medical care is legally available.

“At Dick’s, our teammates (employees) are the heart of our business, and we are committed to protecting their health and well-being,” said Hobart.

“While we do not know what decision each state will make in response to this ruling, we at Dick’s Sporting Goods are prepared to ensure that all of our teammates have consistent and safe access to the benefits we provide, regardless of the state in which they live,” she said.

Hobart said the travel expense reimbursement will be provided to any employee, spouse or dependent enrolled in the company’s medical plan, along with one support person.

A call to Dick’s corporate on Friday for further comment was not immediately returned.

Friday’s outcome is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.

Meanwhile Disney, Netflix, Paramount and other media companies announced similar policies to cover employees’ travel costs for abortions following the news that Roe v. Wade had been overturned.

In a statement issued to its employees Friday, Disney said the company “remains committed to providing comprehensive access to quality and affordable care (to employees) no matter where they live.”