Despite using rhetoric to suggest otherwise, American corporations are giving big to extremist politicians that have a hand in pushing abortion bans in states such as Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri.
Revealed by journalist Judd Legum, formerly of ThinkProgress, mega-corporations like AT&T, Walmart, Pfizer, Coca-Cola, and Aetna are backing these politicians that fight against reproductive rights. Although these corporations publicly promote equality and women’s rights, behind closed doors they seem to do be doing the opposite.
“In their corporate literature, these companies present themselves as champions of women and gender equality,” says Legum. “But they have collectively donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to politicians seeking to roll back reproductive rights.”
Broken down by company, Legum reveals statistics about each company:
AT&T, whose website boasts that they make “sure women at AT&T feel supported in everything they do” has donated nearly $200,000 to politicians that “advocated for and enacted abortion bans in six states,” including to George House Speaker David Ralston and Georgia Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan.
Walmart, who says it’s committed “to celebrating, developing and lifting up women around the world – both within the company and in the communities we serve,” has given at least $57,700 to politicians that supported abortion bans in six states, including Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon.
Pfizer, who says it’s commited to gender equality and claims “investments in women’s health and gender equality must be prioritized to help create healthier communities worldwide” has given at least $54,650 to politicians who have supported abortion bans in six states, including Missouri Governor Mike Parson.
Eli Lilly, who says it’s working to remove “any hidden barriers for women and minorities – to pave the way for a more open, engaging and inclusive culture for everyone,” has given at least $66,250 to politicians that have supported abortion bans in five states, including Alabama Governor Kay Ivey.
Coca-Cola claims there is “overwhelming evidence that achieving equality and empowerment for women has both immediate impacts that benefit them directly and broader ripple effects that are good for society,” yet has given at least $40,800 to politicians that support abortion bans in five states, including Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
Aetna, who says “Women’s views on health care and health care services are critical to our success,” has given at least $26,600 to politicians that support abortion bans in four states, including to Georgia House Speaker David Ralston.
For more information, including a detailed list of each pro-life candidate that these corporations donated to, please read Legum’s full story here.
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