Corporate America would prefer to talk about just about anything other than abortion. Climate change? A no-brainer. Voting access? An American right. So-called “bathroom bills”? A threat to employee well-being and safety.
But thanks to a leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that made abortion a guaranteed right in the U.S., the chief executives of America’s biggest companies are being asked to take a position on—and in a growing number of cases, offer new benefits or funds to address—what has long been the third rail of American politics.
“Like anything else social and political, there’s no middle ground anymore," says Anthony Johndrow, who leads a reputation advisory firm that counsels businesses on engaging in such issues. “Companies have found that to their chagrin, and it would be tough to find an issue that’s more emotionally loaded than this.”
Public-opinion surveys show that workers would welcome their employers’ help. Americans favor legislation that would legalize abortion nationwide by a nearly 20-point margin; a recent Morning Consult poll found that by a two-to-one margin, employed adults would prefer to live in a state where abortion is legal; and according to data released last fall, some...
As actor Kim Soo-hyun has been cleared of false allegations and resumed his activities, he has taken legal action against trolls who continue to spread false information about the actor and engage...