This summer, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander sent letters to retail pharmacy chains like Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Albertsons, and McKesson, insisting that they “[p]rovide abortion medication or risk losing investor confidence,” and must “start dispensing mifepristone without delay.” The contents of these letters were posted on Lander’s website, and now, comptrollers from 15 states have weighed in.
“The Comptroller’s actions are clear attempts to politicize Costco’s business without regard for the company’s financial wellbeing,” the coalition of 15 finance officers wrote in a letter sent Monday to Costco CEO Ron Vachris. “This radical position ignores all of the business decisions that go into whether to sell a particular product — decisions that should be made by Costco’s leadership based on how it will serve their customers.”
They further added that consumer demand is not driving Lander’s threats to dispense abortion pills, but a pro-abortion agenda is. “We find these actions to be inappropriate,” the letter continued. “They are an attempt to launder political views through the commercial marketplace with little regard for the companies or their shareholders.”
READ: 5 reasons to believe abortion pill pharmacy protests aren’t just affecting CVS and Walgreens
Financial officers from Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Indiana, Wyoming, and Texas signed the letter.
According to the press release published on Lander’s website, Lander threatened the companies by insinuating they would lose investments if they refuse to dispense abortion pills. “In letters to their CEOs sent yesterday, Comptroller Lander warns the companies risk investor confidence if they do not provide timely and accessible reproductive healthcare,” the press release said. “New York City’s pension systems own over $1.32 billion in total shares of the companies.”
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that current REMS safety regulations would be changed, and retail pharmacies would be allowed to dispense the abortion drug mifepristone (Mifeprex) after completing a certification process. Lander, meanwhile, has a long history of pro-abortion advocacy, and his wife worked for Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion chain, in various roles ranging from Vice President of Strategic Initiatives to Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel, for nine years.
