Amazon, an internet retail giant, will reimburse employees for travel expenses up to $4,000 (PS3,202), if they travel to receive medical treatment or to have an abortion.

Amazon is now the third company to respond to certain laws that restrict abortion access in certain Republican states, following Yelp and Citigroup.

The message was seen by Reuters news agency and stated that Amazon would help employees who have to travel for non-threatening medical treatment.

This benefit is retroactively applicable starting January 1, if the operation isn’t available within 100 miles from an employee’s residence, or if virtual care cannot be provided.

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All employees

It is available to all US employees and their dependents who are enrolled in Premera/Aetna health insurance plans. This applies regardless of whether they work in a warehouse or corporate office.

This reimbursement does not apply to abortions. It also covers other treatments such as cardiology and cellular gene therapies.

Amazon also offers travel reimbursements up to $10,000 per year for life-threatening conditions.

This move shows that the companies want to retain and attract talent in areas that are important to their operations, regardless of any legal changes that could affect employees’ health.

The announcement comes just days after Amazon announced that it would no longer offer paid time off to employees with COVID-19 in the US, but instead will give them five days of unpaid, excused leave.

The US has a wide range of restrictive abortion laws

The US. The US.

Oklahoma and Alabama are just two of the nearly twenty-six states that have passed laws to restrict abortion access in case Roe is overturned.

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Oklahoma could make abortion a crime punishable with up to ten year imprisonment.

This follows Texas, which in September introduced the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws. It bans abortion after doctors detect a foetus heartbeat.