Apple and Facebook Will Now Pay for Employees to Freeze Their Eggs

Apple and Facebook Will Now Pay for Employees to Freeze Their Eggs

Apple and Facebook are competing neck and neck in the latest stage of the Silicon Valley “perks arm race”: Employees at both companies will now be able to freeze their eggs under their employee health plans regardless of their reasons for doing so. The companies will cover up $20,000 in costs, typically enough to pay for two rounds of egg harvesting. NBC’s Danielle Friedman reports that egg freezing advocates have also seen “large law, consulting, and finance firms” allocate funds to cover the procedure, albeit quietly. That’s good for female employees of these companies, who will now benefit from a fuller range of reproductive choices: Apple and Facebook also cover costs related to fertility treatments and adoption, Facebook awards $4,000 of “baby cash” to new parents, and California employers are required to cover abortions under state law.

Obama to Provide “Family Planning” to Illegal Children Crossing Open US Border

Obama to Provide “Family Planning” to Illegal Children Crossing Open US Border

A $350 million grant opportunity announced Friday by the Department of Health and Human Services to provide shelter for unaccompanied alien children (UAC) states that recipients providing residential shelter to these children must provide them with “family planning services” and that residential care providers deliver services in a manner that is “sensitive” to sexual orientation and gender identity.