The Roe Dilemma
From our friends at Delve…
Amidst the uproar over the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson that could determine the fate of Roe v. Wade, companies face pressure from competing stakeholders to take a public stand. Whatever position they take—or even if they stay silent—is bound to alienate one or even both sides of this charged debate. Yet, news of the draft decision is just the latest social issue flashpoint in which companies are caught in the crosshairs, with questions, concerns, and demands coming from employees, consumers, investors, elected officials, and beyond.
Public affairs professionals know threading this needle will be difficult. As we’ve warned before, “Especially in this hyperpolarized political environment, it is important for CEOs and companies to remember that while they may believe they are signaling the right thing, they very well may be widening the divide instead of closing it.” Here’s what you need to know to navigate this ongoing challenge smartly…
The Demand to Take a Stand
The leaked draft caused a wave of activism demanding and expecting companies to act. Some companies, including Amazon, Apple, Citigroup, Levi Strauss & Co., Lyft, Salesforce, Uber, and Yelp, swiftly adopted new employee benefit packages covering the travel costs of employees seeking abortion procedures. The moves come in response to pressure from not just outside activists but also employees within companies. The pressure, though, is not one-sided. Congressional Republicans, for example, were already pursuing cancellation of Citigroup’s contract to provide payment services for House offices over the bank’s plans to cover abortion travel for workers.
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