Corporate Funding of the State Abortion Bans

Like many, I have been quietly and loudly freaking out about the current rapid and radical shift in a few states on the right to abortion, which is the right of people with uteruses to control their bodies as human beings.

I don't understand how anyone thinks that's debatable, let alone legislatable, in a country with religious freedom. You can decide for yourself not to have one, assuredly; you can try to convince others not to have one; but you cannot compel the use of someone's body to incubate the life of another person — just as you cannot compel donation of a kidney or even blood to save the life of a person who is already born. We get to choose when to donate a kidney, when to donate blood, when to gestate a fetus.

If you wonder who's been funding the people behind these recent legislative changes, Judd Legum has some information for you, posted in summary to Twitter earlier today and in full form on his online newsletter, Popular Information. This is the Twitter summary:

I scoured the campaign finance databases for the six states that have banned abortion this year. I looked for corporate contributions to the politicians leading the charge to pass abortion bans. Six companies stood out.

Let's take them one at a time:

1. ATT says the company makes "sure women at AT&T feel supported in everything they do." ATT donated $196,600 to politicians pushing abortion bans in six states.
2. Walmart says it's committed "to celebrating, developing and lifting up women around the world – both within the company and in the communities we serve." The company donated $57,700 to politicians pushing abortion bans across six states.
3. Pfizer says "investments in women’s health and gender equality must be prioritized to help create healthier communities worldwide." The company donated $53,650 to politicians pushing abortion bans in six states.
4. Eli Lilly says it is working to remove "any hidden barriers for women ...to pave the way for a more open, engaging and inclusive culture for everyone." The company donated $66,250 to politicians pushing abortion bans in five states.
5. CocaCola says there "is overwhelming evidence that achieving equality and empowerment for women...benefits them directly and [has] broader ripple effects that are good for society." The company donated $40,800 to politicians pushing abortion bans.
6. Aetna says women "are the largest consumer and workforce group. Women’s views on health care and health care services are critical to our success." The company donated $26,600 to politicians pushing abortion bans

NOTE: Info about corporate political donations SHOULD be very easy to get. But it's not. Much of the info is tucked away in arcane state databases. If you value accountability journalism, you can support it by subscribing to my newsletter.

I'll be notifying the couple of corporations on that list that I happen to patronize that I am unhappy about this. If you are also, I hope you will too.