By: Bob Otto

In an exclusive report from the New York Post, top financial officers from 15 conservative states have blasted New York City Comptroller Brad Lander for urging major U.S. retailers to sell the abortion pill mifepristone “without delay.” Lander’s campaign, aimed at pharmacy giants like Walmart, Costco, Kroger, and Albertsons, drew sharp criticism from officials in states with strict anti-abortion laws.

In July, Lander sent letters to the CEOs of several retail and pharmaceutical companies, pressuring them to begin dispensing mifepristone. “By failing to become certified mifepristone dispensers, these pharmacy giants put both women’s reproductive health care and investors’ money at risk,” Lander stated in his letters. He argued that making the abortion pill available in states where abortion remains legal would benefit both customers and shareholders, boosting sales and increasing long-term value.

Lander also noted that New York City’s pension funds hold over $1.3 billion in shares of the companies he targeted, adding weight to his appeal for corporate responsibility. The Post reports that Lander, a candidate for mayor, positioned his campaign as a win-win for both reproductive rights and business profitability.

However, officials from conservative states were quick to fire back, urging the companies to resist Lander’s demands. In a joint letter sent to Costco CEO Ron Vachris on Monday, the financial officers, led by Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar, accused Lander of overstepping. “The Comptroller’s actions are clear attempts to politicize Costco’s business without regard for the company’s financial well-being,” the letter read.

These anti-abortion state officials argued that such decisions should be left to Costco’s leadership, based on customer demand and business strategy. According to the letter, Costco has already indicated that there is no significant customer demand for mifepristone in their stores.

“We find these actions to be inappropriate. They are an attempt to launder political views through the commercial marketplace with little regard for the companies or their shareholders,” the letter continued, urging Vachris to ignore Lander’s pressure.

The letter was co-signed by financial officers from Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Indiana, and Wyoming—all states that have imposed total abortion bans or strict limitations following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

As the New York Post highlighted, Lander’s push comes amid a wider divide between red and blue states on abortion access. States like New York have moved to expand abortion services, including the distribution of mifepristone, in response to the Supreme Court ruling that returned the decision on abortion legality to individual states. The ruling reversed the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which had protected abortion rights at the federal level.

Faith-based, anti-abortion investors have also urged retailers to avoid selling the pill, citing concerns over reputational risks and the moral implications of distributing abortion-inducing drugs.

Lander has yet to respond to the backlash, but given his commitment to reproductive rights, it’s unlikely he will back down. He has warned these companies that failing to sell mifepristone could harm their reputations.