Citigroup Inc has started covering travel expenses for employees who go out of state for abortions because of newly enacted restrictions in Texas and other places, becoming the first major U.S. bank to make that commitment.
Highlights
- Citigroup Inc has started covering travel expenses for employees who go out of state for abortions because of newly enacted restrictions in Texas and other places.
- The new policy is “in response to changes in reproductive healthcare laws in certain states in the U.S.,” the bank said late on Tuesday in a public filing ahead of its annual shareholders meeting in April.
- The travel benefits are “to facilitate access to adequate resources” and did not specifically mention abortion.
- The number of abortions in Texas dropped by some 60% within the first month after the law took effect on Sept.
- 1, according to state health department data.
- Citi has taken stances on controversial issues before, including in 2018 when it enacted restrictions on its clients who sell firearms.