Why businesses helping employees get abortions could face legal minefield 

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade and, with it, half-century-old protections for women seeking abortions, scores of corporations — including Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and JPMorgan Chase — have come forward pledging to cover the medical expenses of those forced to travel to access care. But those companies now face mounting legal pressure from states banning the procedure. 

“Employers can brace for a rocky road in terms of abiding by the patchwork of state laws — including the criminalization of abortions — that have already been triggered or are sure to come as a result” of the court’s decision, warned Lara Shortz, a lawyer with the firm Michelman & Robinson. Shortz is based in Los Angeles and her firm has offices both in states where abortion access remains unfettered (California, New York) and where it has been banned (Texas).