Topline— Dozens of companies (see full list, below) criticized Texas’ near-total ban on abortion Tuesday, saying in an open letter restrictions on reproductive care will be “bad for business” and hurt workers, customers and the state’s economy—marking the largest outcry yet from the business community against Texas’ controversial Senate Bill 8 (SB 8).
Key Facts— The letter, released through the organization Don’t Ban Equality, does not mention SB 8 specifically, but says any kind of restrictions on access to “comprehensive reproductive care,” such as abortion restrictions, “threatens the health, independence, and economic stability of our workers and customers.”
The state’s abortion restrictions that were in place before SB 8 took effect have already negatively impacted the state’s economy, the companies argue, citing figures from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research that found existing restrictions have cost the state of Texas an estimated $14.5 billion annually in economic losses.
