FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—With many of the nation’s largest companies reimbursing employees for traveling out of state for abortions, the vast majority of Americans think companies should provide equal benefits for birth and adoption.

The Napolitan News Service surveyed 1,000 registered voters on Oct. 15 and 16 about their views on abortion.

Seventy-one percent of those surveyed said that if employers provide “abortion benefits,” they should provide equal benefits to employees seeking infertility treatments, adopting a child, or giving birth.

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, 56 CEOs announced abortion stipends and travel reimbursements for women for travel to other states to get abortions if it’s illegal or restricted where they live. Those companies include Disney, Meta, PayPal, Amazon, Starbucks, Microsoft, Netflix, and Apple.

The Department of Defense announced in October 2022 that the Pentagon would pay for service members and their dependents to travel to abort their unborn babies.

Three-fourths of voters surveyed said they favor requiring abortions to be performed only by licensed physicians. Fifty-five percent strongly favor such a requirement, while only 20% somewhat favor it. Ten percent were not sure.

Only 15% somewhat or strongly opposed limiting abortions to doctors.

Several states have abortion amendment referendums on their ballots in November that allow non-physicians to perform abortions.

South Dakota’s ballot initiative would remove all existing state abortion laws, overriding requirements that abortions be done by a physician and in an inspected and clean facility.

Florida’s pro-abortion Amendment 4 allows “health care providers” to perform abortions up till birth if the provider determines it’s necessary to protect the mother’s “health.”

Because the text of the constitutional amendment contains no definition of “health” or “health care provider,” the measure would likely legalize abortion at any stage of the pregnancy if anyone who claims medical expertise asserts the mother would benefit from it physically, emotionally, or otherwise. 

Florida statutes define a health care provider as “a physician licensed under chapter 458, an osteopathic physician licensed under chapter 459, a podiatric physician licensed under chapter 461, or an advanced practice registered nurse registered under 464.0123.”

At least 19 states allow certain nonphysician practitioners, such as advanced practice
registered nurses, nurse-midwives, or physician assistants to perform medication or
procedural abortions, according to a 2022 study from the Connecticut Office of Legislative Research.