Costco said it will not sell the abortion pill mifepristone at any of its U.S. pharmacies, citing “lack of demand.”
“Our position at this time not to sell mifepristone, which has not changed, is based on the lack of demand from our members and other patients, who we understand generally have the drug dispensed by their medical providers,” Costco said on Thursday, as reported by Reuters.
The move comes after a pressure campaign from conservative and religious groups, although the company did not say whether the campaign influenced its decision, the New York Post reported.
“WIN: Costco said NO to distributing deadly Chemical Abortion Pills. Students for Life worked hard to call on pharmacies to reject these dangerous drugs,” Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins said in a post to X. “Great to see 500+ pharmacies truly living up to their slogan: ‘Simplifying Home and LIFE.’ Protecting moms, protecting babies. This is what winning looks like.”
Pharmacies have become a new battle in the abortion debate, after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under former President Joe Biden allowed pharmacies to distribute mifepristone in person or via mail in response to the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
In a medication abortion, mifepristone — also called by the brand name Mifeprex, created by Danco Laboratories — blocks the action of progesterone, which the mother’s body produces to nourish the pregnancy. When progesterone is blocked, the lining of the mother’s uterus deteriorates, and blood and nourishment are cut off to the developing baby, who then dies inside the mother’s womb. A second drug, misoprostol, (also called Cytotec) then causes contractions and bleeding to expel the baby from the mother’s uterus.
In 2023, medication abortions accounted for 63 percent of all abortions within the formal U.S. healthcare system — meaning an estimated 642,700 unborn babies died in medication abortions, according to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute. The percentage was up from an estimated 53 percent in 2020 and 39 percent in 2017. The report did not account for abortion pills obtained through underground national and international networks, including those that send pills to women in states with abortion restrictions through telehealth.
According to Bloomberg News, several conservative and religious groups, including Idaho-based Inspire Investing, Alliance Defending Freedom, and others, contacted Costco last year asking the retailer not to carry the drug.
They similarly asked Kroger, Walmart, and Albertsons to forego carrying the medication, according to the report. Kroger told the Post it has never carried the pills and will continue to monitor regulator developments. Neither Walmart nor Albertsons carry mifepristone, per the report.
Pro-life advocates have their attention trained on Walgreens Boots Alliance and CVS, which both currently dispense abortion pills in states that do not have abortion restrictions.
“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,” CVS said.
On the other side of the debate, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander wrote several retailers last year representing city pension funds, asking them to pursue authorization for offering mifepristone.
“Costco’s decision to refuse to dispense mifepristone is disappointing and short-sighted,” a representative from Lander’s office told The Post. “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.”
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton
