Costco, the third largest retailer in the world, recently announced that it will not dispense the abortion pill mifepristone at its pharmacy locations.
The decision was based on a “lack of demand from our members and other patients who, we understand, generally have the drug dispensed by medical providers,” according to a company statement
Mifepristone, first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000, is part of a two-step regimen with misoprostol that is used to end a pregnancy through 10 weeks. The drugs are responsible for over half of all abortions in the U.S., according the Guttmacher Institute. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that the rise in abortion pill distribution has been a major driver of troubling abortion statistics in recent years.
Many pro-life organizations praised the decision by Costco, including Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal advocacy group. ADF had previously urged Costco not to sell abortion drugs as part of a coalition that included The Ethics & Public Policy Center, American Family Association, a group of faith-based investors, and other organizations.
Several news outlets credited this coalition with helping to influence Cosco. The Washington Post reported that Costco’s decision “followed a pressure campaign” in which “a coalition of religious and conservative financial groups approached the company.”
“We applaud Costco for doing the right thing by its shareholders and resisting activist calls to sell abortion drugs,” said ADF’s legal counsel Michael Ross. “Retailers like Costco keep their doors open by selling a lifetime of purchases to families, both large and small. They have nothing to gain and much to lose by becoming abortion dispensaries.”
Kristan Hawkins, president and CEO of Students for Life of America, celebrated Costco’s decision with a post on X.
“WIN: Costco said NO to distributing deadly Chemical Abortion Pills,” Hawkins wrote. “(It’s) “great to see 500+ pharmacies truly living up to their slogan: ‘Simplifying Home and LIFE.’ Protecting moms, protecting babies. This is what winning looks like.”
Lila Rose, founder and president of Live Action, similarly lauded the retail on X, adding that CVS and Walgreens should “follow Costco’s lead and immediately stop trafficking in the deaths of children. The FDA must pull its approval for this lethal drug!”
For Costco, its recent decision aligns the chain with other major retailers, such as Walmart and Kroger, who have also opted not to carry abortion drugs.
In January of 2023, FDA regulatory changes allowed retail pharmacies to dispense mifepristone. A year later, the matter was thrust into the national spotlight when New York City Comptroller Brad Lander sent letters to the CEOs of Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Albertsons, and McKesson (a medical distribution company), asking them to immediately begin dispensing mifepristone. Lander warned that the companies risked investor confidence “if they did not provide timely and accessible reproductive healthcare.” New York City’s pension systems own over $1.32 billion in total shares of the companies.
According to a New York Post article, financial officers in 15 states that ban or restrict abortion responded to Lander by sending a letter to Costco CEO Ron Vachris, imploring him to ignore the “inappropriate” demand and “radical position.”
Additionally, a group of Christian investors, owning about $172 million in shares of the five companies, sent letters to the CEOs, warning them that offering the abortion drug will risk repercussions, according to Bloomberg.com.
The group of investors, which is part of the ADF coalition, started a petition signed by 9,000 Costco customers who vowed to cancel their membership if the retailer started selling the pills.
In a recent press release, Ross, of Alliance Defending Freedom credited the advocacy of the coalition with helping persuade Costco to make its decision.
“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,” Ross said. “We’re honored to work alongside the many like-minded partners who made this moment possible.”