Roe v. Wade—brands and agencies react to Supreme Court draft

Several brands have spoken up in response to a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion that suggested the court will soon strike down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which legalized abortion nationwide. Politico, which published the leaked draft Monday, reported that the opinion was written by Justice Samuel Alito and that it had received votes of support from fellow Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, creating a majority.

A Morning Consult/Politico survey conducted after the draft leaked found that 51% of registered voters supported brands speaking out about access to abortions, with strong discrepancies between political parties—76% of Democrat respondents approved brand participation in the discourse while only 28% of Republicans did, nearly half of them opposing the idea. 

The survey also found that over half of those surveyed favored brands posting resources to support reproductive rights, 40% approved of companies providing financial assistance for employees to travel to receive abortions, and one in five said they would up their patronage of brands that posted statements about the potential overturn.

Read more: Roe v. Wade neutrality will be a challenge for companies

Here is a roundup of reactions from brands, agencies and at least one high-profile executive. 

WPP

Tesla

Tesla has joined the long list of companies offering travel and lodging compensation for employees who must cross state lines for abortion access. According to a company impact report, released May 6, the company instituted the benefit last year, although the official text did not mention reproductive procedures specifically, but rather “healthcare services that are unavailable in their home state.”

GSD&M

Austin, Texas-based agency GSD&M launched a campaign that flips a traditional Mother’s Day card into a call to action for people to speak up on behalf of the pro-choice movement.

Read more about this story from reporter Brian Bonilla.

United Talent Agency

On Wednesday, Deadline obtained a memo from UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer declaring a new health benefit for employees similar to that of Bospar (whose response is further down this story) and other brands. According to the memo, the benefit will cover travel expenses “related to receiving women’s reproductive health services that are not accessible in their state of residence.” 

“We’re doing this to support the right to choose that has been a bedrock of settled law for almost half a century,” read the memo, which also stated, “UTA has a long history of giving generously through our Foundation to organizations that support women’s reproductive health care, which we will continue to prioritize.”

Read more: Mother's Day marketing complicated by Roe v. Wade

Ben & Jerry’s

The ice cream maker posted a thread to Twitter on Tuesday taking a strong stance against the leaked draft. The five-tweet thread said that if passed, the ruling would “perpetuate systemic racism and classism, and is an assault on the bodily autonomy of all women.” The final tweet in the thread linked to abortionfunds.org, a resource that helps women find access to abortions, and accepts donations to support the cause.

Big Spaceship

Creative agency Big Spaceship took to Instagram on Tuesday to share the stories of employees' experiences receiving abortions. The series of quotations is accompanied by a statement from the agency that said, “We firmly believe that there is never one reason why someone chooses to have an abortion. And that having autonomy over your own body should always be a fundamental right,” as well as the call to action, “We’ll see you in the streets.”

In January, OkCupid re-upped its inclusive “Every Single Person” brand campaign, adding a pro-choice themed poster. The addition was a response to then-new Texas legislation banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, and came in tandem with a badge on the site to proclaim a user’s affirmative support of pro-choice legislation.

The service now reports more than 70% of users have adopted the badge in tandem with a statement on the latest news. “Gender equality is at stake and more brands need to step up,” the brand posted on social media. “Tag a brand you want to see take action and sign http://DontBanEquality.com.”

The link takes readers to a petition to support reproductive rights, originally drafted to oppose Texas’s abortion ban. It has been signed by 64 brands, including Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia and Lyft. OkCupid’s tweet has several responses tagging major brands, but as of writing, none have responded.

DeVito/Verdi

Agency DeVito/Verdi took the opportunity to share vintage work from the early 2000s with the message, “What’s past is prologue.” The advertisements, for the Pro-Choice Public Education Project, show provocative copy over striking black-and-white images. One shows a group of grumpy-looking men in suits with the statistic, “77% of anti-abortion leaders are men. 100% of them will never be pregnant.” A link to the agency’s website shows the full campaign.

Yelp

In a statement to Insider, Yelp said that the possible decision to ban abortion federally will “jeopardize the human rights of millions of women.” The review app company called on Congress to codify laws around reproductive rights. It also called on other brands to accompany it in protecting employees by providing access to health services. Yelp is one of many companies, including Amazon, Citi and Apple, that provide benefits for staff that must go to extra lengths to obtain necessary healthcare, including abortions.

Sheryl Sandberg, Meta

Although Meta has not made a statement regarding Monday’s news, its Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg posted a response on her personal Facebook page. She shared the Politico report detailing the leaked draft and said if the ruling is made official, “one of our most fundamental rights will be taken away.”

“Every woman, no matter where she lives, must be free to choose whether and when she becomes a mother,” Sandberg wrote. “Few things are more important to women’s health and equality.” 

Bospar

The public relations agency launched “Bospar Stands Up,” an expansion of a previous program to cover expenditures for any staff member that has to travel outside of their state to receive reproductive healthcare. Last year, Bospar announced an initiative to fund employees who wished to move out of Texas following the state’s abortion ban. 

“We are proud Bospar was first in the nation to cover relocation expenses for staff seeking reproductive freedom,” said Curtis Sparrer, a principal of Bospar, in a statement. “We want other companies and PR agencies to join the fight, especially since many are composed of women and are led by women. The rights of women are not just on the line. So is the fate of LGBTQIA people. As someone who credits his same-sex marriage to the legacy of Roe, I am imploring my colleagues and friends to end their silence and speak truth to power. We are stronger together.”

Planned Parenthood

Cosmopolitan magazine posted a roundup of tweets from prominent figures, including writers Moira Donegan, Josie Duffy Rice, Roxane Gay and Lyz Lenz. The accompanying post states that the brand is “outraged," "heartbroken" and "overwhelmed.” Cosmopolitan’s Instagram bio linked to resources from its website on how to donate to support reproductive rights and how to access safe abortions.

The outlet posted a video to Instagram that at first appeared to be about Kim Kardashian’s dress at last night’s Met Gala, but then pivots to document the details of the Supreme Court’s document, which leaked during the fashion event.

Refinery29 took to its social channels to post an educational set of graphics detailing the ramifications of a potential overturn of Roe v. Wade. It details what the leaked document included, potential outcomes of the court case being overturned, how to access an abortion and ways to support reproductive rights.

Whohaha