Costco won't sell abortion pills after outcry from religious groups

New York Post

6 hours ago

Costco said it will not offer abortion pills at any of its more than 500 pharmacies nationwide, a move celebrated by religious groups that lobbied against the drug being dispensed by retailers.
The Washington state-based wholesaler insisted its decision was based on a lack of customer interest in the medication, Mifepristone, which together with another medicine called misoprostol, is used to end a pregnancy within 10 weeks of gestation.
It didn't address whether pressure from conservative organizations influenced the move.
4 A Costco location in the US, one of more than 500 company pharmacies that will not provide Mifepristone.
Getty Images
A coalition of religious groups including Idaho-based Inspire Investing, the conservative legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom and treasurers and other financial officials from Ohio, Texas, Nevada and Utah had contacted the retailer last year requesting it not carry the drug, according to Bloomberg News.
'It's a very significant win and it's one we hope to build on this coming year,' said Michael Ross, an attorney working with Alliance Defending Freedom's corporate engagement division.
Ross indicated the coalition plans to target Walgreens Boots Alliance and CVS next. Both pharmacy chains currently provide mifepristone in states that don't have abortion restrictions.
People living in states that have severely limited abortion can obtain the medication by mail from states without such bans.
The religious investors sent similar requests last year to Kroger, Walmart and Albertsons alongside Costco, urging them against carrying the medication.
Kroger responded that it has never provided abortion pills and continues monitoring regulatory developments. Neither Walmart nor Albertsons currently stocks the medicine.
Costco's decision intensifies the ongoing debate about access to the medication.
4 Mifepristone tablets are part of a two-drug regimen to terminate early pregnancies.
AP
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander had written to various retailers in July last year representing city pension funds, encouraging them to pursue authorization for offering the drug.
'Costco's decision to refuse to dispense mifepristone is disappointing and short-sighted,' a representative from Lander's office told Bloomberg.
'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.'
The Post has sought comment from Costco and Lander.
The religious organizations have promised to continue to ramp up pressure.
'We have this momentum,' said Tim Schwarzenberger, who leads corporate engagement at Inspire, which manages the biggest religious exchange-traded fund.
'Now there is a chance to turn to some of the other retailers.'
Amazon.com doesn't presently sell the medication, and Schwarzenberger indicated his organization will work to maintain that status.
4 A patient prepares to take mifepristone, which blocks progesterone to end an early-stage pregnancy.
AP
Amazon didn't provide a response to inquiries. Walgreens declined to comment but referenced information on its website stating: 'The US Supreme Court's ruling on mifepristone access allows Walgreens to continue to dispense mifepristone under the FDA guidelines.'
CVS confirmed it distributes mifepristone in certain states where permitted after completing what it called a thorough certification procedure.
'We have a long history of supporting and advancing women's health and we remain focused on meeting their unique health needs. This includes providing access to safe, legal, and evidence-based reproductive health services,' the company stated.
The elimination of nationwide abortion protections has resulted in uneven access throughout the US, leading telehealth providers to address some service gaps.
Various state legislators have proposed legislation to designate mifepristone as a restricted drug and reduce telehealth availability.
According to tracking by the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit research organization, lawmakers introduced 32 proposals to prohibit medication abortion and 38 to restrict access during the 2025 legislative period, representing the highest number since the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
Data from the Society of Family Planning, an abortion rights organization, shows most abortions in America still occur either at medical facilities or through prescriptions from doctors filled at pharmacies like CVS or Walgreens.
A smaller percentage involves prescriptions delivered by mail.
4 Anti-abortion demonstrators rally outside the US Supreme Court in March of last year as debate over medication abortion continues.
AP
Following increased state-level abortion restrictions, more women have pursued online mifepristone prescriptions for mail delivery.
These shipments now represent approximately 25% of American abortions, up from 5 percent before the 2022 Supreme Court decision that ended federal abortion protections.
Eight states permitting abortion have enacted protective legislation shielding doctors from prosecution when prescribing mifepristone to patients in states with abortion prohibitions.
Ushma Upadhyay, a reproductive sciences professor at the University of California, San Francisco, explained that CVS, Walgreens and similar pharmacies don't provide the medication in states prohibiting abortion, creating difficulties for women seeking the procedure.
Telehealth providers can utilize protective laws to ship pills directly to states with restrictions, she noted.
This has generated legal disputes. A Texas resident filed a lawsuit in July against a California physician for prescribing abortion medication to his girlfriend.
A New York doctor faces criminal charges in Louisiana and a lawsuit from Texas's Attorney General for shipping pills to patients in those states.