NEW YORK, May 19 — Mastercard Inc MA.N on Wednesday said it will fund travel and lodging for employees seeking abortions outside their home states from June, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.
Companies including Microsoft Corp MSFT.O, Amazon.com Inc AMZN.O and Tesla TSLA.O have rushed to the aid of their US employees as several states tighten abortion restrictions.
The country's top court is also set to overturn a 1973 ruling which legalised abortion nationwide, according to a leaked initial draft majority opinion by the US Supreme Court.
Three of the six major US banks have already taken initial steps towards the effort. Citigroup Inc C.N began covering travel expenses for employees who go out of state for abortions in March, the first major bank to do so.
Peers JPMorgan Chase & Co JPM.N and Goldman Sachs Group Inc GS.N are also reviewing its policies that cover abortion benefits for employees.
Besides expenses related to pregnancy terminations, Mastercard will also cover surrogacies, adoption services, vasectomies and access to contraception, the memo said. — Reuters
