FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
08.21.19
Contact: Alexa Barrett, Communications Assistant
Email: alexa@equityfwd.org
Phone: (914) 602 - 3147
Watchdog Group Launches “Defund The Bans” Campaign Calling On CEOs To Stop Financially Supporting Anti-Abortion Lawmakers
New report from Equity Forward shows nearly $3 million in contributions from corporations to support state legislators restricting abortion in key states
New York, NY – Following this year’s onslaught of abortion bans and a pledge signed by almost 200 top CEOs to protect access to reproductive health care, Equity Forward today launched “Defund The Bans.” As Forbes reports, the campaign calls on 66 major companies to stop supporting the lawmakers behind the restrictive abortion bans in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Missouri and to make comparable donations to organizations supporting women’s rights.
“If you’re a CEO at a high-ranking corporation, supporting the extremists that passed these abortions bans sends a clear message to your shareholders, employees, consumers and community that you do not support the fundamental right to access reproductive health care,” said Michelle Kuppersmith, director of Equity Forward. “We urge these CEOs to make their future donations wisely.”
The campaign launched with a new report by Equity Forward showing that in 2017 and 2018, at least 66 companies made political contributions to anti-abortion lawmakers in these four states and to the Republican State Leadership Committee, which has worked to secure legislative majorities that prioritized restricting access to abortion. At least 15 of these companies publicly tout their commitment to gender equality. Top contributors featured in the report include AT&T, Boeing, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines and Google. The total financial contribution of these businesses is nearly $3 million.
The full report is available HERE and at DefundTheBans.org.
Polling shows that Americans overwhelmingly oppose the recent extreme abortion restrictions. At a time when people have lost faith in government institutions, they are expecting more and more out of the companies they support with their hard-earned dollars. Studies show that consumers — and employees — expect corporate CEOs to “take the lead on change.” Americans choose to support companies that take a stand on the issues that matter to them, and as they follow these actions, they don’t like what they see.
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