Amazon To Reimburse Employees For Travel Costs Related To Abortion, Other Ailments

(RTTNews) - Retail giant Amazon Inc. (AMZN) announced steps to help employees who are opting for abortion. The retailer said that it would will reimburse employees up to $4,000 per year when they're forced to travel more than 100 miles to obtain an abortion or other medical treatments, according to a Reuters report. Amazon, in an email to workers, said that any medical treatments, which could not be taken within 100 miles of home, including reproductive health issues, were eligible for reimbursements. Other companies like Citigroup and Yelp also have similar policies in place, which came into force after many states restricted women's access to abortions.

Ride-sharing apps like Lyft and Uber had earlier said that they would cover the legal fees of drivers sued under a Texas law that lets U.S. citizens sue abortion clinics, healthcare workers, and drivers of ride-hailing services who take them to abortion clinics. And cloud computing company Salesforce with offices in Austin and Dallas, said it would help employees living in Texas to relocate if they choose to do so.

Last year, Match and Bumble had also announced that they would create funds to help employees and their dependents who need to seek care outside of Texas. The Amazon policy is retroactive from January 1 and also covers long-term health issues as well as substance abuse disorders.