The largest law firm in Texas, Vinson & Elkins, is pledging to cover its employees’ travel expenses for reproductive medical care after contributing to the campaigns for two Republican governors pushing strict restrictions on abortion.
The Houston-founded firm’s political action committee has given Texas Gov. Greg Abbott $65,000 in the last two years, according to state filings. The firm’s PAC donated directly to Abbott’s campaign and to PACs associated with the governor, who faces a tightening re-election race in November.
Vinson & Elkins said in the aftermath of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade that it would cover the cost of employees’ out-of-state travel for abortions. That includes in Texas, where a new state law signed by Abbott largely banned abortions and targets those who assist residents in getting access to the medical service.
The firm also contributed $20,000 to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin in his successful bid for governor in 2021. Youngkin has said he wants to pass a law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
That leaves Vinson & Elkins in an increasingly common spot for large firms that have long sought to remain apolitical: on both ends of a hot-button issue that has potential consequences for its employees and its clients.
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