{"id":264674,"date":"2022-03-17T16:35:08","date_gmt":"2022-03-17T21:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=264674"},"modified":"2022-03-21T14:39:03","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T19:39:03","slug":"citigroup-plan-pay-employees-abortion-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/citigroup-plan-pay-employees-abortion-travel\/","title":{"rendered":"Citigroup announces plan to pay for employees’ abortion travel"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Citigroup, a multinational banking organization headquartered in New York City, made waves this week when it announced its plan to pay for its employees’ abortion travel expenses. The policy was specifically created in response to pro-life laws passed in states like Texas.<\/p>\n

In a filing<\/a> for its upcoming shareholders’ meeting, Citigroup proposed the plan. \u201cIn response to changes in reproductive health-care laws in certain states in the U.S., beginning in 2022 we provide travel benefits to facilitate access to adequate resources,\u201d the filing reads, according to Bloomberg. This will allegedly include airfare and hotel costs for employees to travel for abortion.<\/p>\n

Some have reacted by pointing out the elephant in the room: where are the offers of special assistance for employees who want to give birth and raise<\/em> their children? Citigroup provides 16 weeks of paid leave<\/a> following the birth of a child, including eight weeks of disability\/recovery time and eight weeks of Paid Parental Bonding Leave. Citigroup has also built numerous childcare<\/a> facilities for employees to use and will help with 10% of the cost<\/a> of Bright Horizons childcare, which is also available as backup care for employees’ children. The company’s healthcare<\/a> package pays for abortion and maternity care at an equal percentage.<\/p>\n

Yet, paying the travel expenses including hotel costs so that an employee undergoes an abortion treats abortion as if it is essential. Citigroup does not appear to offer to pay for a woman facing a high-risk pregnancy to drive to a high-risk OB\/GYN. It is not buying her a hotel room near the hospital if she is at risk of preterm delivery. It is not offering to pay for any non-covered pregnancy-related expenses — only non-covered abortion-related expenses.<\/p>\n

It also begs the question: will Citigroup pay for any of the expenses involved with post-abortion trauma or abortion-related injuries such as depression, alcohol abuse, perforated uterus, or blood transfusion due to hemorrhaging? While abortion may mean Citigroup won’t have to cover all of the costs associated with 16 weeks of parental costs, there are countless unseen costs that many women will face following an abortion.<\/p>\n

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Citi bank is offering to pay the costs of any U.S. employee who has to travel out of state to get an abortion?<\/p>\n

Imagine if, instead, it offered to cover the medical costs of birth… or baby supplies… or daycare…https:\/\/t.co\/XIMWFtjtOx<\/a><\/p>\n

— Katie Yoder (@k_yoder) March 16, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n