https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61301911 BBC Homepage * Skip to content * Accessibility Help * Your account * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * Culture * MenuMore Search * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * Culture * Music * TV * Weather * Sounds Close menu BBC News Menu * Home * War in Ukraine * Coronavirus * Climate * Video * World * US & Canada * UK * Business * Tech * Science More * Stories * Entertainment & Arts * Health * In Pictures * Reality Check * World News TV * Newsbeat * Long Reads * US & Canada Amazon will pay US staff travel expenses for abortions and other treatments Published 3 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics * US abortion debate Amazon employeesImage source, Getty Images Image caption, The benefits apply to some elective treatments further than 100 miles from an employee's home Amazon will reimburse staff in the US who travel for a wide range of non-life threatening medical treatments including elective abortions. A message to Amazon staff said that the firm will pay up to $4,000 (PS3,201) in travel expenses each year for treatments not available nearby. Several other companies have announced plans that ensure staff have access to abortions. It comes amid rising restrictions for the procedure nationwide. Amazon's new benefits are effective retroactively from 1 January. According to the announcement, first reported by Reuters, the new benefits will apply to treatments that are not available inside a 100-mile (161km) radius of an employee's home and for which virtual options are not available. An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the benefit expansion to the BBC and said it also includes bariatric care, oncology, congenital anomalies from within 24 months of birth, mental health treatments and in-patient substance abuse disorder services. Amazon is one of the biggest private sector employers in the US, with 1.1m full and part-time workers in the country. It employs people nation-wide, with most workers in California, Texas, and Washington state - home to its global headquarters. The benefits will be available to all employees enrolled in two different health plans offered by the company, including those working in offices or in warehouses. The company also offers up to $10,000 (PS8,002) for urgent, life-threatening medical issues. * The 'ranch' for Texas mothers with no place to go While the expansion of benefits by Amazon is not aimed specifically at allowing access to abortions, it comes at a time when several Republican state governments have passed laws restricting abortion access in their jurisdictions. Next month, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court will also rule on a case that could overturn Roe v Wade, a 1973 court ruling that legalised abortion in the US. If the law is overturned, each US state could be permitted to determine its own abortion rules, with more than 20 states expected to limit abortion care or even ban abortions in most cases all together. In Texas - which has one of the strictest abortion laws in the country and bans the procedure after six weeks of a pregnancy - a recent study found that some 1,400 Texans were traveling out of state for abortions monthly. Companies including Yelp and Citigroup have recently said they will reimburse employees who travel to circumvent local abortion restrictions. Citigroup said the policy was "in response to changes in reproductive healthcare laws in certain states". More on this story * Oklahoma lawmakers pass near-total ban on abortion 6 April Signs reading "dismantle Roe" and "keep abortion legal" * The 'ranch' for Texas mothers with no place to go 4 April Blue Haven Ranch * Foetuses found at home of anti-abortion activist 1 April Lauren Handy protesting * Gen Z marchers praying for an end to US abortion 22 January Young anti-abortion activists flooded the streets of Washington DC for the 49th annual March for Life. Related Topics * Abortion * Amazon * US abortion debate * United States Top Stories * Live. 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