Companies scramble to protect abortion access for employees after court ruling

Disney, JP Morgan, Levi Strauss, Microsoft and others are offering to cover travel expenses but face a Republican backlash

Some of America's largest companies moved swiftly to protect their employees' access to abortion after Friday's supreme court decision to end the constitutional right to an abortion in the US. The moves are likely to deepen an expanding rift between conservative Republicans and corporate America.

Disney, JP Morgan, Levi Strauss and Microsoft were among the companies to tell staff they would cover employee travel expenses for abortions in light of the supreme court's decision to strike down Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling that the constitution generally protects the right to choose an abortion.