It can be overwhelming when large household-name companies are opposed to you and your pro-life values. Everywhere you look, these companies are tripping over themselves to be the biggest supporter of abortion for their employees. Why are they doing what they are doing? The best explanation is the most cynical one—it is a financial move for women employees not to go on maternity leave. According to Chris Kolmar at Zippia, a recruiting website, “roughly 40% of private companies in the US offer paid maternity leave” (Kolmar). Ironically, companies with the greatest maternity leave benefits were the companies to quickly announce coverage of “abortion-related travel costs.” The overlap includes, but is not limited to, Amazon (“At Amazon, $15 Is Just the Start”), Google (Peralta), and Starbucks (“Starbucks Parental Leave Benefits”). It makes perfect sense why these companies do not want women employees to give birth. They will have to shell out thousands of dollars to these mothers in order to fulfill the benefit policies they have committed to. Moreover, the focus of these women may well shift towards family life plus they might have to miss work to care for sick children. If the companies cover abortion costs, they lose a lot less money on family-oriented women. Even better, the businesses can still claim to be pro-family by offering maternity leave.

On the other hand, a few companies, such as Rex, a Texas-based tech company, are paying women to choose adoption rather than abortion. Peter Rex, the founder and CEO, wrote in a Newsweek op-ed that, “instead of blindly paying people to end an unborn child's life, companies should consider paying them to welcome that life into the world” (Rex). Other companies have adopted similar policies, including Buffer, a small insurance company also in Texas.

While it is nearly impossible to avoid all companies that support abortion for employees, it is possible to choose to give your money to places that are not radically funding abortion-related “benefits.” For example, Walmart is a much better option than Target because they are not funding abortion unless the mother’s life is at risk. It is a good idea to avoid large banks like Bank of America, Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo and choose a smaller, local bank. You are not ethically responsible for abortion by shopping with these companies; we live in a pro-abortion world and it is impossible to keep every penny out of the hands of pro-abortion companies. You can, however, consciously choose to shop local, order less from Amazon, and save a bundle by making your latte at home rather than going to Starbucks.

As a result of American companies sprinting to get on the “abortion travel” bandwagon, South Carolina Citizens for Life is beginning a social media campaign to analyze which companies should be avoided the most and what alternatives exist. Everyone must buy groceries. Everyone must shop. Many companies are neutral on abortion. Many companies have avoided the abortion debate until recently. Their focus used to be on business; now they are supporting the killing of their future customers. Companies financing abortion “benefits” do not care about women. It is all about profit margins, even at the expense of their employees.

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Works Cited

“At Amazon, $15 Is Just the Start.” US About Amazon, US About Amazon, 1 Oct. 2021, https://www.aboutamazon.com/about-us/our-commitment-to-amazon-employees?utm_source=pd&utm_medium=g&utm_campaign=gcam22&utm_term=Benefits.

Kolmar, Chris. “Average Paid Maternity Leave in the U.S. [2022]: U.S. Maternity Leave Statistics.” Zippia Average Paid Maternity Leave In The US 2022 US Maternity Leave Statistics Comments, 5 Jan. 2022, https://www.zippia.com/advice/average-paid-maternity-leave/#Unpaid_and_Paid_Maternity_Leave_Statistics.

Peralta, Paola. “11 Companies with the Best Parental Leave Policies.” Employee Benefit News, Employee Benefit News, 30 Mar. 2022, https://www.benefitnews.com/list/microsoft-google-among-companies-with-the-best-parental-leave-policies#:~:text=a%20flexible%20schedule.-,Google,vacation%20time%20for%20all%20employees.

Rex, Peter. “Companies Should Support Adoption, Not Abortion: Opinion.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 13 July 2022, https://www.newsweek.com/companies-should-support-adoption-not-abortion-opinion-1723563.

“Starbucks Parental Leave Benefits.” Starbucks Stories, 21 Mar. 2017, https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2017/starbucks-to-expand-parental-leave-benefits/.