Costco's Decision on Abortion Pill Riles Up Both Sides

A relatively easy way to pick up abortion medication has been taken off the table. On Thursday, Costco announced that, after more than a year of deliberations and feedback both for and against, it has decided not to sell mifepristone, the first pill taken in a two-step drug-driven abortion process, reports the Washington Post. The news is a victory for conservative activist groups who'd long lobbied the warehouse giant to refuse to sell mifepristone at its 500-plus pharmacies, though the Post calls it a "narrow" victory.

In Costco's case, the retailer's decision was made "based on the lack of demand from our members and other patients," it said in a Thursday statement. But CFRA analyst Arun Sundaram tells Reuters that "many retailers have become more cautious about taking overt political or social stances after recent controversies triggered boycotts, negative media coverage, and polarized consumer reactions."

Not long after CVS and Walgreens received an FDA OK to sell mifepristone in March 2024, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander reached out to Costco, Walmart, Kroger, and other big-name pharmacies to urge them to take the lead on the abortion pill from CVS and Walgreens. In his July 2024 letter to Costco chief Ron Vachris, Lander wrote that attaining certification for selling mifepristone "aligns with both long-term shareholder interests and women's health care needs." But faith-based groups like Alliance Defending Freedom and Investing and Inspire Investing saw things differently and started pushing back, though Costco hasn't conceded that pressure from those groups played a role in its own decision.

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"It's a very significant win, and it's one we hope to build on this coming year," ADF lawyer Michael Ross tells Bloomberg, which first reported on the news. Ross said his coalition will now turn to putting the squeeze on CVS and Walgreens to nix mifepristone from its pharmacy shelves. "Disappointing and shortsighted," a rep from Lander's office told the outlet of Costco's decision. "Failure to provide access to proven safe and FDA-approved medication under the guise of 'weak demand' risks isolating customers and undermines the company's credibility." Those seeking an abortion can still obtain prescribed abortion medications in all 50 states, even ones where abortion is illegal, through the mail.