Amazon, recipient of state funding for data centers, offers employees abortion assistance

Mississippi lawmakers, who for years have restricted abortion access, recently voted to provide millions of dollars in tax breaks and cash to lure Amazon, which provides its employees money to travel out of state to obtain an abortion.

Gov. Tate Reeves announced in January that Amazon Web Services, a subsidiary of Amazon, the nation’s second largest private company, would invest $10 billion in the state to place two data centers in Madison County near Jackson. The Legislature approved a package that included $44 million for workforce training and for infrastructure, multiple major tax breaks and loans of $215 million to bring the Amazon centers to the state. The company is expected to employ at least 1,000.

In 2022, months before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed the national right to an abortion, Amazon informed its employees that the company would reimburse up to $4,000 to travel from a state where abortions are banned to a location to obtain an abortion.

Even as Mississippi legislators approved the Amazon Web Services incentive package last week, they were working on a proposal to ensure voters could not gather signatures through the initiative process to change state law to allow abortion in Mississippi. That legislation passed the House and is pending in the Senate.

Amazon creates an interesting dilemma for Reeves and red state leaders who want to focus on recruiting tech companies that often have corporate policies in conflict with the politicians’ rhetoric and positions on social issues like abortion.

Amazon did not comment on questions from Mississippi Today about its abortion policy and how it would impact its Mississippi operations. Amazon already has a warehouse and fulfillment center in Madison County that employs about 1,000 and earlier received incentives from the Legislature and the Reeves administration for that facility. Other Amazon facilities are located in Marshall County near Memphis. According to Reuters and other news reports, the company offers its abortion policy to both warehouse and office workers.

Reeves and Attorney General Lynn Fitch did not respond to questions about Amazon’s abortion policy.

The case that overturned Roe v. Wade originated in Mississippi and was successfully argued by the office of the state Attorney General.

After the 2022 Supreme Court ruling overturning the national right to an abortion, one Mississippi law went into effect banning all abortions except in cases of rape and to preserve the life of the mother. A second Mississippi law bans all abortions after six weeks except in cases of medical emergency. The six-week ban would not allow abortions in cases of rape.

House Speaker Jason White, a Republican from West, said Amazon “is a private company” and he is not familiar with the company’s health plan.

Mississippi is not the only anti-abortion state with a strong presence by Amazon. A 2022 article by the Austin American-Statesman pointed out that Amazon employed about 11,000 people in Austin. Texas, like Mississippi, has strong anti-abortion laws.

The Austin American-Statesman pointed out other tech companies with operations in Texas provide benefits to help their employees obtain an abortion. Reeves has said many times he wants to focus on luring tech companies in Mississippi.

According to Reuters, the travel benefit is not offered only for abortions. It is provided to travel for other medical procedures. It is offered for an abortion if one is not available within 100 miles. The benefit is provided to U.S. employees and covered dependents, according to Reuters.