While the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark abortion decision Roe Vs Wade may soon be overturned, a poll of the major ad-marketing holding companies shows them to be firmly in the right-to-choose
camp, if their health benefits are an indication.
WPP and IPG have indicated that they are updating benefit policies to include travel budgets for those in the U.S. who may need to travel in
order to receive any and all reproductive healthcare services they seek, including abortion care.
The travel issue was put in the spotlight by last week’s news that the Court has drafted
a decision to overturn Roe v Wade. If that decision is finalized as many believe it will be, it’s a sure bet some states will outlaw abortion. That will require out-of-state travel for affected
citizens seeking abortion and related medical services.
Dentsu and Omnicom Group have had such policies in place for a while, the latter since 2006. “We will continue to ensure our
people have access to health services no matter where they live in the U.S.,” the company stated.
A Dentsu spokesperson indicatedt the firm’s “current healthcare
benefits include the reimbursement of travel (inclusive of transportation, lodging and meals) expenses for any medical care service, including abortion, that isn’t available within a 50-mile
radius of where one lives.”
“We are encouraged to see such robust industry support for consistent and equal access to women’s healthcare across the United States," the
Dentsu spokesperson added.
Publicis did not issue a statement,but it’s understood the firm has a similar policy supporting travel for healthcare in place, which was reconfirmed by
senior executives last week.
Asked about Havas’ policy a Havas Creative spokesperson stated, “This important conversation and potentially historic decision is a critical topic of
conversation for Havas creative leadership. While we don’t have details to share just yet, we’re discussing various ways to meaningfully support our employees.”