“We have tens of thousands of teammates in the U.S. spread across 16 states who now, because of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, will have varying access to reproductive healthcare.”– Vail Resorts
On June 24th, the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, restricting the previously protected right for women to get an abortion. Since then, a multitude of companies has announced providing travel funds for employees that live in a state where abortion access is now limited, which includes Patagonia and Dick’s Sporting Goods. On Wednesday, Vail Resorts announced that they would be expanding their health coverage to protect women who wanted to seek an abortion out of state. Travel reimbursements of up to $4000 will be given to individuals who need to travel to a state where abortion is legal.
This won’t affect employees for their properties in Australia, California, Canada, Colorado, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington, as abortion rights are generally protected there. The states where employees will probably be offered this option include Utah, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio.
In Utah, where Park City Mountain is located, a trigger law made abortion illegal outside of cases of rape or incest. Last week, a judge temporarily blocked this trigger law for a couple of weeks. In the meantime, an eighteen-week abortion ban has now been restated while the judicial process takes place on the trigger law.
In the state of Wisconsin, where Wilmot Mountain is situated, an 1849 law could give physicians who perform an abortion a felony, and banned abortions except in the risk to the life of the mother. The state’s Attorney General is currently challenging the validity of this and will argue a 1985 law supersedes the original 1849 ban.
In Michigan, where Vail owns Mt. Brighton, a 1931 law could go back into effect that banned abortions outside of medical emergencies, although this is being legally challenged. In Missouri, where they own Hidden Valley and Snow Creek, abortion is now illegal except in cases where a medical emergency arises. In the state of Indiana, where Vail owns Paoli Peaks, the state legislature is considering an abortion ban. In Ohio, where Vail runs four ski resorts, abortion is now banned six weeks after pregnancy or when a fetal heartbeat is detected. Ultimately, this move could increase many employees’ health coverage in numerous states.
We have tens of thousands of teammates in the U.S. spread across 16 states who now, because of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, will have varying access to reproductive healthcare. [1/3]
— VailResorts (@VailResorts) June 29, 2022
Our team is at the core of our mission and we remain committed to ensuring they have the resources and support they need to be healthy and safe. [3/3]
— VailResorts (@VailResorts) June 29, 2022
Image Credits: Vail Resorts, Vail Ski Resort
