DOJ GEN Proposes Admin Leave for Reproductive Health Services

As many have heard, a leaked opinion from the Supreme Court suggests the Court is likely to rescind the constitutional right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade almost 50 years ago. Without this constitutional protection, hundreds of thousands of federal employees—including  many of us from DOJ—and their family members may lose in-state access to various forms of reproductive healthcare in 26 states.

To mitigate this harm and inequity to federal employees, DOJ GEN is proposing that the Biden Administration authorize administrative leave to cover the time away from work for those who need to travel to other states to receive reproductive health services due to state bans. This is similar to the way the federal government affords federal employees administration leave to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

Today DOJ GEN sent a letter to OPM, OMB, and the White House Gender Policy Council explaining our proposal, and why it’s in line with the Administration’s commitments to protecting the federal workforce and preserving access to reproductive healthcare.

Let us know if you have any questions about our efforts on this front. You can email our leaders here.