Pro-life win: Costco decides not to sell chemical abortion pills

Cris C. / stock.adobe.com

Costco Wholesale Corp. has announced that it will not sell the chemical abortion drug mifepristone, citing a lack of consumer demand, according to an Aug. 14 Bloomberg report.

Pro-life activists are hailing the decision, which comes after a religious coalition’s efforts to dissuade major grocery stores from selling the deadly drug. Bloomberg reports that the pro-religious freedom legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), Idaho-based Inspire Investing, and financial officials from a number of states were a part of the coalition. The outlet also reports that Costco had no comment on whether the coalition had a role in the decision.

ADF Legal Counsel Michael Ross praised the move in an Aug. 14 statement, hailing the company “for doing the right thing by its shareholders and resisting activist calls to sell abortion drugs.”

“Retailers like Costco keep their doors open by selling a lifetime of purchases to families, both large and small,” Ross said. “They have nothing to gain and much to lose by becoming abortion dispensaries. Retail pharmacies exist to serve the health and wellness of their customers, but abortion drugs like mifepristone undermine that mission by putting women’s health at risk.”

According to Bloomberg, the pro-life coalition is now setting its sights on Walgreens Boots Alliance and CVS Health Corp., which sell the drug in states with pro-abortion laws.

Tim Schwarzenberger, director of corporate engagement at Inspire, told Bloomberg that the coalition will also lobby for Amazon.com to uphold its current practice of not selling the drug.

Schwarzenberger also noted that the drug’s overall availability may be at a crossroads. Costco’s decision also comes as the US Food and Drug Administration aims to conduct a top-down review of the drug, which could result in significant changes to the drug’s legal status.

“This is an issue that our investors care deeply about, not just from a moral perspective, but also from a fiduciary perspective,” Schwarzenberger told Bloomberg. “The legal landscape is far from settled.”