• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, May 9, 2022

WPP told U.S. employees Friday that the company is updating its benefits plan to ensure they have access to abortion resources and care.

The update came in via memo from CEO Mark Read and followed the disclosure early last week of a first draft of U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade, the nearly 50-year-old case in which the court ruled that state laws making abortion illegal were unconstitutional. The Court confirmed that the draft was authentic but that no change is finalized at this point.

“We don’t know the full details or impact of these potential changes in reproductive rights yet, but we do know we want our people to have the same health coverage regardless of where they live,” Read wrote. “WPP is therefore updating its benefits plan to provide funding for travel that allows consistent access to healthcare and resources, including abortion care. This will apply to all our agencies in the United States; your leadership and People teams … will follow up with further details.”

WPP issued its memo around the same time that Omnicom agency GSD&M, taking a firm pro-choice stand on the issue, unveiled a campaign—dubbed “Happy Forced Mother’s Day”—urging people who oppose the draft ruling to mobilize and contact their government representatives to let them know how they feel.