Tesla can pay travel prices for employees seeking abortion services

Tesla is covering travel prices for employees looking for out-of-state abortions, joining the ranks of major corporations who’ve launched a similar policy to learn staff affected by new restrictions prior to now few months.

The corporate said in its 2021 “ Affect Report ” launched Friday that it expanded its Safety Net program and health insurance choices last yr to include “travel and lodging support for many who may need to seek healthcare companies which might be unavailable in their home state.”

The automotive maker officially moved its company headquarters last 12 months from Silicon Valley to Texas, which handed a regulation banning abortions at roughly six weeks of being pregnant.

Other states have since launched new restrictions, and a political firestorm was set off this week with the leaked draft of a Supreme Court docket opinion that might abolish a nationwide proper to an abortion.

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are taking intention at companies providing to assist girls searching for abortions in states with less restrictive laws.

Texas State Representative Briscoe Cain, a Republican, has stated he would suggest laws barring local governments in the state from doing enterprise with any firm that provides travel benefits for employees in search of abortions. Nationally, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio launched a bill on Wednesday that will prohibit companies from claiming tax deductions for such costs.

Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, but he tweeted in September that he believes “authorities ought to not often impose its will upon the individuals, and, when doing so, should aspire to maximize their cumulative happiness. That said, I would like to remain out of politics.”