The top executives of more than 180 companies have signed a letter that says abortion is essential in order for people to be successful in their businesses.
“When everyone is empowered to succeed, our companies, our communities and our economy are better for it,” the executives say in the letter posted on a newly launched website titled “Don’t Ban Equality.”
“Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health, independence and economic stability of our employees and customers,” they said, adding:
Simply put, it goes against our values and is bad for business. It impairs our ability to build diverse and inclusive workforce pipelines, recruit top talent across the states, and protect the well-being of all the people who keep our businesses thriving day in and out.
Access to reproductive care means everyone succeeds including; companies, communities, and the economy. Along with 180 companies, we've signed today's historic @nytimes statement affirming the importance of reproductive health to equality in the workplace. #DontBanEquality pic.twitter.com/Ye4y2fg1Ec
— The Body Shop (@TheBodyShop) June 10, 2019
A full list of the companies who signed the letter can be found here. They include:
- Slack Technologies
- Bloomberg LP
- MAC Cosmetics
- H&M
- Yelp
- Square, Inc
- Ben & Jerry’s
- Atlantic Records & Warner Music Group
- POPSUGAR
- Hint, inc.
- The Body Shop US
Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, signed the letter for his other company, digital payment platform Square.
Don’t Ban Equality.
It’s time for companies to stand up for reproductive health care.
We’re joining with 175 other companies to stand against policies that hinder people’s health & ability to fully succeed in the workplace.
Join us: https://t.co/rj9zkSytF5#DontBanEquality
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) June 10, 2019
The letter appeared as a full-page ad in the New York Times Monday, reported CNN.
The abortion lobby, led by Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and the ACLU formed the coalition of business executives as more states are passing restrictions on abortion.
With a full-page ad in @nytimes today, leaders from over 180 companies who employ a workforce of more than 100,000 in a range of industries made a strong show of support for reproductive health—including access to safe and legal abortion! https://t.co/DSC0enct7L #DontBanEquality
— NARAL (@NARAL) June 10, 2019
More than 180 CEOs have banded together to publish a letter in a full-page ad in today’s @nytimes, calling for an end to abortion bans and declaring their opposition to these attacks on reproductive health care. Check it out at https://t.co/EQGqLLpIxM. #StopTheBans
— Planned Parenthood (@PPFA) June 10, 2019
Ilyse Hogue, NARAL’s president, said her abortion advocacy group is praising the executives for “taking a stand on behalf of their employees, customers, and communities.”
“We encourage the entire business community to join us in protecting access to reproductive health care in the critical months and years to come,” she said.
Restricting access to abortion threatens the health, independence, and economic stability of everyone, including ALL workers.
Thank you to the more than 175 companies that are supporting reproductive freedom today. #DontBanEquality pic.twitter.com/CooMbnjdf8
— ACLU (@ACLU) June 10, 2019
A Marist poll released in January found 76 percent of Americans are in favor of limiting abortion to, at most, the first three months of pregnancy, including 92 percent of Republicans, 78 percent of independents, and 61 percent of Democrats.
Additionally, while 51 percent of Americans identify as “pro-choice,” even 60 percent of those agree with substantial restrictions on abortion.
The poll also found 60 percent oppose the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortions.
Story cited here.
