The Beauty Brands Covering Travel Expenses For Abortion Care

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that protected a pregnant person’s right to choose to have an abortion, in a 6-3 vote. In doing so, abortion access has been left up to the individual states, effectively enacting trigger laws in 13 states — Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming — that make abortions in most cases illegal.

In the hours and days following the news, many celebrities, politicians, and large companies have taken a stand on the issue and shared their support for the right to choose. In addition to many beauty brands joining forces with Don’t Ban Equality, the largest network of businesses supporting reproductive rights, some have extended their employee benefits to cover travel and lodging or other expenses accrued to seek care in a legal abortion state.

Seeing companies stand up for their employees and a person’s right to autonomy over their bodies is an important first step. However, this is by no means an all-encompassing solution, as covering the costs of an abortion only grants access to full-time employees, leaving out many people (including hourly workers) who may need the support.

Ahead, read the full statements from beauty brands who’ve pledged to help cover the cost of abortion in a legal state for their employees.

Ulta Beauty

“Ulta Beauty has long valued equality for our guests, our 40,000+ associates, and the communities we serve. We are committed to providing equitable access to quality healthcare options, and to ensuring those enrolled in our medical plan can access covered health care. Effective Friday, June 24th, this support was extended to include travel expense assistance for eligible reproductive health services where access to care is restricted. While the Supreme Court’s ruling directly impacts women and families, we continue to closely monitor the situation and will continue evaluating how we can best support our associates should other issues impact communities within the Ulta Beauty family. As always, we encourage our teams and our guests to learn more and act on issues important to them by making their voice heard and their vote count.”

Amika

“Amika’s policy offers paid leave and additional support for any employee who experiences the loss of a pregnancy, including abortion. Amika will also reimburse travel and lodging expenses for those who need to travel to another state for healthcare services, including abortion.”

Nordstrom

“We know that attempts to restrict access to quality healthcare will have far-reaching consequences for our employees, customers, and communities. We have created a new travel benefit to ensure that our employees have continued access to the healthcare they need.”

E.l.f. Beauty (Including E.l.f. Cosmetics Keys Soulcare, and Well People)

“E.l.f. Beauty stands with a woman’s right to choose and supports reproductive healthcare access for all. As a company dedicated to empowering women, E.l.f. believes in protecting women’s rights and are taking the following actions: E.l.f. will cover the cost of travel and lodging to provide their employees with full access to reproductive care services. E.l.f.’s reproductive care benefits – particularly their fertility and adoption program – have long been part of efforts to support the privacy, safety, and freedom of family planning for employees. E.l.f. supports employees using flexible time off to speak out and join non-violent demonstrations occurring around the country.”

We will continue to update this list as more beauty companies update their policies.

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