Summary by James R. Martin, Ph.D., CMA
Professor Emeritus, University of South Florida
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Since the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade many states have passed legislation that includes near-total bans on abortion including West Virginia, Indiana, Texas, Idaho, and Tennessee. However, many employees are pursuing employment at organizations that better align with their priorities and values. How organizations respond to the reproductive rights issue will affect how they are able to hire and keep top talent, or lose valuable employees to other companies.
Laws restricting abortion care create barriers for women who want to become parents. Safe abortions reduce the risk of maternal mortality and prevent the devastating consequences of attempted unsafe abortions. Anti-abortion legislation also raises the threat of criminalizing an accidental miscarriage and pregnancy loss. How organizations respond to the health, and well-being of their employees with reproductive health concerns will affect their ability to attract and retain a talented and diverse workforce.
Five Recommended Actions
Currently there are five actions an organization can take to protect the reproductive freedom of their employees.
1. Embrace remote work and location flexibility. Organizations located in states that restrict abortion can embrace remote work and location flexibility to improve employee access to reproductive healthcare. This is not only a wise decision from an ethical and moral perspective, but also from the perspective of the organization's ability to attract top talent. In a recent poll 66% of college educated employees indicated they would not accept a job in a state that restricts abortion care access.
2. Support employees accessing abortion care. Organizations located in states that restrict abortion can fund employee travel out of state to access safe abortion care, and implement systems that protect employee confidentiality.
3. Partner with third-party reproductive care providers. Organizations can also support employees by contracting with third parties that provide consultation or access to abortion care, e.g., Progyny, Hey Jane, Just the Pill.
4. Hold organization and industry events in states with extensive abortion access. For example, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is moving its April 2023 conference out of New Orleans because of Louisiana's strict abortion law. Holding events in states with restricted access to reproductive care is risky for pregnant employees if a medical emergency occurs.
5. Align where their money goes with their values. Organizations need to ensure that their political financial support is consistent with their support for reproductive justice. Some companies that have supported women's rights have also contributed funds to groups or politicians that support anti-abortion legislation, e.g., AT&T, CVS, Coca-Cola, Walmart, and Verizon. Employers should also attempt to align the stance on abortion held by their suppliers, contractors and other partners.
Employees' lives are at risk if they work in states that restrict abortion and reproductive healthcare. Championing reproductive justice will create a more inclusive workplace, support and protect the health and well-being of employees, and attract and help retain a talented and diverse workforce.
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Note: Restricting abortion may cause a spike in crime rates in the future. The authors in the following article found a strong correlation between reproductive freedom and sharp declines in crime rates in the decades following Roe v. Wade. Donohue, J. J. III and S. D. Levitt. 2001. The impact of legalized abortion on crime. Quarterly Journal of Economics 116(2): 329-420.
Related summaries:
Esquire. 2015. America: These are your choices. Esquire (December/January): 149-153, 160-161, 164, 168. (Summary - This is a summary of ten questions related to the most critical choices for America based on information from the Brookings Institution).
Estes, R. 1992. Social accounting past and future: Should the profession lead, follow - or just get out of the way? Advances In Management Accounting (1): 97-108. (Note and Summary).
Gleeson-White, J. 2015. Six Capitals, or Can Accountants Save the Planet?: Rethinking Capitalism for the Twenty-First Century. W. W. Norton & Company. (Note).
Goldstein, S. 2015. Six capitals, or can accountants save the planet? Rethinking capitalism for the twenty-first century. The CPA Journal (October): 15-16. (Review of Gleeson-White's Book - Note).
Handy, C. 2002. What's a business for? Harvard Business Review (December): 49-55. (Summary).
Jones, A. III. and G. A. Jonas. 2011. Corporate social responsibility reporting: The growing need for input from the accounting profession. The CPA Journal (February): 65-71. (Summary).
Levin, B. and L. Downes. 2022. Every company needs a political strategy today: Five principles will help leaders take decisive action when fast-moving laws and regulations conflict with stakeholder values. MIT Sloan Management Review (Fall): 1-4. (Summary).
Piketty, T. 2014. Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Belknap Press. (Note and Some Reviews).
Porter, M. E. and M. R. Kramer. 2006. Strategy and society: The link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility. Harvard Business Review (December): 78-92. (Summary).
Porter, M. E. and M. R. Kramer. 2011. Creating shared value: How to reinvent capitalism and unleash a wave of innovation and growth. Harvard Business Review (January/February): 62-77. (Summary).
Winston, A., E. Doty and T. Lyon. 2022. The importance of corporate political responsibility. MIT Sloan Management Review (Fall): 1-4. (Summary).