Dear New Yorkers,

With abortion access increasingly under attack across the country, I’m using all the tools in the Comptroller’s tool box to protect women’s reproductive health care.

That’s why my office issued a strong warning to pharmacy giants Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Albertsons, and McKesson that they must immediately start dispensing abortion medication to avoid risking both investor confidence and abortion access.

With NYC’s pension funds holding over $1.3 billion in total shares of these companies, making mifepristone available benefits customers and employees, increases sales, and generates long-term shareholder value.

CVS and Walgreens have committed to provide access to medical abortion through their pharmacies, but other pharmacy giants haven't.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a group of anti-abortion physicians does not have standing to challenge the FDA’s actions related to the approval of mifepristone. Mifepristone will remain on the market and accessible in states where abortion is legal – though attacks on medication abortion could continue, as the case will be sent back down to federal district court.

Following SCOTUS’s decision, CVS and Walgreens committed to providing access to medical abortion through their pharmacies. But other industry giants including Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Albertsons, and McKesson have failed to follow this lead and become certified mifepristone dispensers.

As I warned the CEOs of these four companies, women’s reproductive health care and investor confidence will be put at risk if they do not provide timely and accessible reproductive health care. These companies also faced increasing pressure from 54 U.S. House members in a letter sent July 2 to their boards, urging the companies to take action to begin dispensing the medication.

The bottom line? The boards of Costco, Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, and McKesson should follow CVS and Walgreens and immediately take the necessary steps to receive certification to dispense the medication mifepristone in states where it is legal.

That’s one way we’ll protect long-term shareholder value. And that’s one way we'll protect women’s reproductive health care.

More soon,

Brad

The Office of New York City Comptroller

Our mailing address is:
Office of New York City Comptroller Brad Lander
1 Centre Street
New York, NY 10007
United States

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