Bank of America CEO calls Roe v. Wade "settled law," says company will discuss providing benefits to employees seeking an abortion
As a leaked Supreme Court draft majority opinion calls into question the future of reproductive rights in the U.S., some companies are already planning to take action in case Roe v. Wade is overturned. Bank of America CEO and Chairman Brian Moynihan said his company will have a discussion on that "tough issue."
"With all things like this, we look at what our team needs from us," he said Wednesday on "CBS Mornings," noting that the leaked draft is still subject to change.
"First of all, the decision has to come down," he said. "And the leak and everything that you guys have been covering is tragic in a sense."
The leaked document, obtained and published by Politico on Monday, was written by Justice Samuel Alito and suggests the majority of the nine justices appear ready to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision establishing a constitutional right to an abortion. The draft reportedly circulated among the justices in February.
The Supreme Court confirmed the authenticity of the document on Tuesday, but stressed that "it does not represent a decision by the court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case."
But the news has rattled the country, with workers in Republican-led states — many of which are poised to outlaw abortion if the landmark ruling is overturned — likely wondering if their employers would offer any assistance should they need to travel to obtain the procedure.
Amazon told its U.S. workers this week it would reimburse up to $4,000 in travel costs for abortion and other medical needs. Citigroup recently added a travel benefit after several states enacted laws restricting reproductive rights. Last year, Salesforce said it would help workers move out of Texas if they wanted to after the state enacted a strict restriction.
Moynihan said Bank of America will assemble a broad team of employees to discuss what the company can do if Roe v. Wade is struck down.
"It's the settled law of the land. We believe people should have that access," Moynihan said, cautioning that his opinion does not reflect that of all the company's 200,000 U.S. employees.
"I could have a personal point of view, but that's not what we do," he said.
"The question is, 'Can our people be effective? Can they serve our customers well?' That's how we take it," he added.
The list of companies offering travel benefits for medical procedures not available in an employee's home state also includes Apple, Bumble, Hewlett Packard, Match Group and Levi's.