The following is a communication sent to our company’s staff after the decision by the Supreme Court, in June of 2022, to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Hello Everyone,
We wanted to clarify reproductive health options for our team in the wake of last Friday’s Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v Wade, striking down federal protection for women’s choice of whether to carry a pregnancy to term. It is critical to us that all employees regardless of location have equity in their benefits.
The decision to have a baby is one of the most pivotal in any of our lives. Truly the course of your life is forever changed. If you either have or are trying to have a child, or know someone who does, you can attest to this. And in the US, a country with zero federal paid leave for delivering or adopting a baby, it is a scenario that is financially precarious for many, many families. With daycare scarcity, formula shortages, etc. and the fact that under federal law, employers with fewer than 50 employees aren’t required to give employees any time off to have a baby, the US is widely known around the world as one of the hardest places to raise a child.
Then there is the medical side. Many journeys to parenthood are not smooth and linear. There may be years of infertility, miscarriage, or the tragic loss of a baby. Reproductive health is truly one of the most heart-wrenching, private, soul-searching areas of health challenges. My guess is that many of you have either experienced some sort of difficulty firsthand or know someone who has. And there can be serious pregnancy complications- from debilitating round the clock nausea, increased risk of a whole host of conditions from diabetes to high blood pressure to pre-eclampsia, and sometimes doctor-ordered bed rest. Delivering a baby takes incredible effort and a toll on a woman’s body. Recovery can take 6 weeks at minimum to simply be able to lift and perform basic life functions.
At Allagash, we remain committed to removing barriers to comprehensive healthcare. We will continue to offer full spectrum reproductive healthcare options to all genders. This includes coverage on our health plan for you and your dependents for:
- All types of contraception from birth control pills to IUDs, etc.
- Vasectomies
- Tubal ligation
- Abortions
- Fertility treatments including IVF
- Gender affirming surgery
Employees who live in a state that restricts access to such services covered on our plan will be eligible for travel assistance and a “no questions asked” policy regarding usage. Please reach out to a member of the HR team if you wish to discuss. Additionally, free and confidential mental health counseling to process feelings about fertility/pregnancy is available to all through our partnership with behavioral healthcare service provider WellSpace.
Finally, a reminder of our matching funds policy which will match your donation up to $300 to a non-profit of your choice and our VTO policy which includes the ability to be paid for participation in peaceful protests to support causes you care about, organizing and attending rallies, etc.
Due to the outpouring of distress over this subject internally, we’ll also hold a WellSpace clinician facilitated session, a supportive 90 minutes for women/non-binary employees at Allagash who would like to express a full spectrum of emotion about the ruling. We have found that coming together in times of distress can have a helpful impact. More to come on that including time, date and sign up, as things are finalized. If interested in participating, please indicate your interest here ASAP as we are trying to set it up for later this week. Also, if any men at the brewery are interested in a similar session, please reply to this email so we can gauge interest and explore that possibility.
Thank you all for your mature and compassionate responses to a very challenging development and topic.
— HR Department
