Google tells employees they can 'relocate without justification' after Supreme Court ruling

With big legal decisions come complicated consequences

In the wake of the Supreme Court decision which overturned federal protections of abortion rights, institutions and employers are scrambling to respond with new policies that will support women in their organizations who are seeking to terminate their pregnancies, but live in a state that has banned abortions. Google is one of them.

The Verge has obtained a staff-wide email from chief people officer Fiona Cicconi which informed employees of the verdict of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization and that the company is ready to handle applications for relocation.

"To support Googlers and their dependents, our US benefits plan and health insurance covers out-of-state medical procedures that are not available where an employee lives and works," Cicconi wrote. "Googlers can also apply for relocation without justification, and those overseeing this process will be aware of the situation."

Abortion is currently permitted in 30 states though Republican-led state legislatures may propose new limitations or outright bans now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned.

In a memo from last August (via Bloomberg), Cicconi said that the company had approved about 85% of Googlers' requests to move to remote work or relocate once its offices began to reopen — after several delays, buildings started to open back up in April.

We've asked Google for further comment on its human resources policies following the Dobbs decision. The company

Lawmakers have pushed for the search giant to provide accurate results when users look for abortion clinics and the abortion pill. Abortion activists note that some results point to crisis pregnancy health centers run by anti-abortion organizations.