Salesforce offers to help relocate employees in Texas due to new abortion law

Software company Salesforce is offering to help relocate employees in Texas due to the state’s new, restrictive abortion law, the company’s CEO said Friday. 

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff confirmed the decision on Twitter after it was first reported by CNBC.

“Ohana if you want to move we’ll help you exit TX. Your choice,” Benioff tweeted.

Ohana is a Hawaiian word that means “family.”

Ohana if you want to move we’ll help you exit TX. Your choice.❤️https://t.co/y5IKpm5fNs

— Marc Benioff (@Benioff) September 11, 2021

The move is the latest in the fallout of Texas’s abortion bill, which took effect this month after the Supreme Court voted in a 5-4 decision to decline to block the law.

The measure, Senate Bill 8, effectively bans most abortions once a “fetal heartbeat” is detected, which normally occurs around six weeks. The bill does not make exceptions for cases of rape or incest. 

The bill also allows for private citizens to sue those who aid or abet in abortions in violation of the law.

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Texas on Thursday over the law.

In a note to employees that was obtained by CNBC, Salesforce did not take a stance on the law, but said that it stands with “women at Salesforce and everywhere.”

“These are incredibly personal issues that directly impact many of us — especially women,” the message said. “We recognize and respect that we all have deeply held and different perspectives. As a company, we stand with all of our women at Salesforce and everywhere.”

“With that being said, if you have concerns about access to reproductive healthcare in your state, Salesforce will help relocate you and members of your immediate family,” the note stated.

The Hill has reached out to Salesforce for further comment.

Since S.B. 8 took effect, other companies have announced measures to help women seeking to get abortions in Texas.

Texas-based dating app Bumble created a relief fund that would support women seeking to get an abortion.

Uber and Lyft both said that they will pay legal fees for their drivers if they get sued under the abortion law while using the app.