A new group – Agencies for Reproductive Rights (ARR) – has been formed by more than 30 search organizations.
The group’s purpose. It is to provide abortion travel benefits for team members following the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. According to the ARR’s website:
- “Each agency … has agreed to cover travel expenses for employees seeking an abortion to the nearest state where legal and safe care is available.”
As Michael King, founder & CEO of iPullRank, put it on Twitter, “if you work at @iPullRankAgency and live in a state that doesn’t support a woman’s right, whatever plane, train or automobile you need to take is on us.”
There are still many details to work out, as the group was only formed over the weekend and announced today. What is for sure is that the group is free to join, and there is a form on the ARR site to do so.
Why the group formed. “I woke up Friday still reeling from the fact that my wife, Jill, and my two daughters, were just told by their government that they were basically second-class citizens and that the government had more say over what they could do with their own bodies than they did,” according to Andrew Shotland, CEO of Local SEO Guide.
Also, right now, women need support and allies, not judgment, said Tess Voecks, director of project management at Local SEO Guide.
“I’m very thankful to have a supportive and understanding employer who understands that reproductive healthcare and medical needs are a personal choice to be made by a woman and that restricting that right by law and making it punishable by law is both dangerous and wrong,” Voecks said.
She also she is thankful that “we are all working together to initiate and organize the formation of a community of support for our industry. We won’t be silenced!”
Women need to feel empowered to make decisions about their bodies and lives for any and all reasons, including reproductive care, Voecks said.
“It’s terrifying to have this right stripped away from us,” she said. “While some of us live in states that still allow legal abortions, many of us do not, and some of us still live very far from a facility that would provide us with the medical care that we want or need.
“That said, travel and time away from work should never be a concern to get the healthcare we want or need. We want our employees to feel supported and empowered to time away from work, afford travel expenses and have the mental and medical care for the reproductive care they need,” Voecks added.
The companies. These companies have joined ARR so far:
- Altura Interactive
- Amsive Digital
- Argent Media
- Beyond SEO
- BKW Partners / BKW Health
- Blind Five Year Old
- Boldist
- Boylan Point
- Captivate
- The Digital Marketers Organization
- Duda
- EPL Digital/Attorney Sync
- The Gray Dot Company
- Growth Plays
- Gulo Solutions
- Impressive Digital
- Intellifluence
- iPullRank
- Juris Digital
- LocalMN Interactive
- Local SEO Guide
- Local Splash
- Location3
- Marketing Mojo
- OpenMoves
- Anthony Palomerez
- Pasterneck Marketing
- Position 2
- Rickety Roo
- Search Labs
- Webfor
Why we care. Whether you are pro-abortion or anti-abortion, the Supreme Court’s decision is only starting to be felt in our industry. The ripple effects will likely continue for the foreseeable future. As Google put it in a memo to its employees: “this ruling will have [an impact] on people’s health, lives, and careers.”
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