Will New Abortion Laws Force The Issue Onto CEOs’ Agendas?

Are the new, more restrictive abortion laws that several states are in the process of considering going to force the issue onto corporate agendas?

In a recent open letter signed by CEOs from more than 180 companies, lawmakers were urged to “to step back from restrictive abortion laws”, arguing that they “hinder people’s health, independence and ability to fully succeed in the workplace.” The open letter also contends that anti-abortion policies are “bad for business.”

As an example, entertainment studios and other companies have threatened to pull operations out of Georgia, in light of a recent restrictive law.

But, the CEO of Delta Airlines, which has long been headquartered in Atlanta, says it’s a matter for the courts to decide, and not corporate America.

“We carry 200 million people a year, we have 80,000 employees. We cannot, as a company, take one group and put it over another group when you’ve got such an emotional — some would say almost religious — view as to what the right answer is,” said CEO Ed Bastian.

But maybe  the bigger issue is that the states’ actions may be forcing companies to speak out one way or the other on the hotly controversial topic that they have long avoided.