Costco Caves to the Anti-Abortion Movement

As reported by Bloomberg on Thursday, Costco has decided not to dispense mifepristone in its over 500 pharmacy locations, a decision they’ve been deliberating for more than a year.

By Danielle Han | August 15, 2025 | 11:17am

Photo: iStockphoto Politics

Costco Caves to the Anti-Abortion Movement

It’s no shock that many beloved brands are often swayed by fascist politics. In fact, it’s businesses like Anheuser-Busch and Walmart that once helped bankroll abortion-ban laws across the U.S., and do not even get me started about Chick-fil-a. But pints of Stella Artois and spicy-chicken sandwiches aside, it really sucks when companies we know and love bend to the enemy’s will.

As reported by Bloomberg on Thursday, Costco has decided not to dispense mifepristone in its over 500 pharmacy locations, a decision they’ve been deliberating for more than a year. While the company cited a “lack of demand,” claiming patients generally just get it from their doctors, the move comes amid mounting pressure from a coalition of religious, right-wing activist groups to get rid of access to the medication.

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The cabal in question includes Inspire Investing, a Christian financial firm that organized a petition against the abortion pill for members and investors to sign (and who once called Roe v. Wade “toilet paper”), and Alliance Defending Freedom, the far-right Christian advocacy group that helped overturn Roe. ADF’s Michael Ross called it a “significant win,” saying: “We applaud Costco for doing the right thing…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.” Apparently, Michael doesn’t read. Abortion pills are safe–more so even than Tylenol and Viagra.

The coalition now has its sights set on CVS and Walgreens, which both received FDA certification to sell the pill in March 2024. However, in 2023, Walgreens bowed to a letter from nearly two dozen GOP AGs who threatened legal action if the pharmacy started selling abortion pills; they currently do not dispense the medication in 20 abortion-banned states. Ross told the Washington Post that ADF is “hoping to build on this [Costco] win,” and that they’ve already filed a shareholder proposal to CVS.

Costco isn’t the only brand caving to the religious right. On Wednesday, Popular Information, an independent outlet run by journalist Judd Legum, published a list of brands that recently donated to the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA). In a fundraising letter email they sent out right after Roe was overturned in June 2022, the group wrote: “Every donation will help [to] combat the Democrats’ pro-abortion agenda and stand tall for life.” By picking apart a 70-page financial disclosure document filed with the IRS earlier this month, Popular Information reported that RAGA has received financial backing from firms like Airbnb, Doordash, and Grubhub.

In July 2024, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander sent letters to Costco, Kroger (who owns Walmart), Albertsons, and McKesson, urging them to follow CVS and reminding them that the city’s pension system is a shareholder. A spokesman from his office has since called Costco’s decision “disappointing and short-sighted.” WaPo reported that, as of Thursday, McKesson and Albertson did not respond to requests for comment; Walmart declined to comment; and Kroger said it was still reviewing the FDA recommendations. Guess it pays to have bad morals.

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