Consumer Advisory: Here Are Alternatives to Pro-Abortion Companies

Updated: 07/11/2022 02:01 PM EDT

As the dust settles following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, corporations are scrambling to capitalize on public passions surrounding abortion. With at least 56 companies having already announced their intentions to fund abortion-related expenses and travel for their employees, pro-life consumers now face a crossroads of conscience about the moral complicity of indirectly funding the abortion industry through their purchases.

It is more important than ever for the pro-life movement to be aware of which companies to avoid in order to keep their dollars out of abortionists’ wallets.

Some companies have thus far chosen to avoid commenting on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision, including Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and Delta Airlines. However, remaining silent and being truly neutral on abortion are not the same thing; companies such as Target, which refrained from making a public statement on the Dobbs ruling, are funding abortion travel for their employees nonetheless.

Likewise, pro-lifers should be slow to praise pro-abortion business owners such as Elon Musk, who has gained popularity among conservatives in recent months for his free speech activism and supposed political conversion. While Musk is busy reforming Twitter, his electric vehicle company, Tesla, is still covering out-of-state abortion costs for employees.

Businesses that have stayed genuinely neutral include Rosetta Stone, a language learning program that could replace Duolingo for pro-lifers, as well as Aldi and Wegmans, which offer grocery store alternatives to those looking to avoid Kroger’s and Giant Eagle.

While investigating and choosing to avoid companies that fund abortion, consumers can also take their pro-life convictions a step further by choosing to support businesses that take an active stance on honoring human dignity rather than merely remaining neutral.

For example, Seven Weeks Coffee is a pro-life alternative to companies like Starbucks, donating 10 percent of every sale to pregnancy resource centers across the country.

Women seeking a clothing store that donates to life-affirming charities can reject H&M and Macy’s in favor of Culture of Life 1972.

Instead of using Mastercard and American Express, Coign is a new Visa credit card alternative that donates to pro-life organizations.

If living in the D.C. area and looking for an alternative to Ben and Jerry’s, try La Marmotta Gelateria, a gelato company that affirms the dignity of every person by providing employment for people with Down syndrome.

As The Washington Stand recently reported, Buffer Insurance is also acting on its respect for human dignity by paying employees’ medical costs associated with birth and adoption, as well as offering paid time off for parental leave.

Unfortunately, the moral imperative to avoid entanglement with the abortion industry is not a black and white issue. What should pro-lifers do, for example, if they receive an Amazon gift card in the midst of boycotting the company? In gray areas where money has already been spent, or the company provides a service that is not offered from any alternative company, pro-lifers must use their personal discernment to weigh the matter. However, these situations can be limited by being open and vocal with friends, family, and community about committing to avoid supporting the abortion industry with their purchases, and by being willing to sacrifice comforts that previously seemed essential.

In some cases, public pressure can even be enough to persuade corporations to rectify questionable decisions. In 2020, Mastercard, Visa, and Discover terminated the use of their cards on Pornhub following an explosive piece in the New York Times exposing the rampant presence of child sexual abuse material and sexual assault on the site. Instances such as this are proof that companies can and will change their policies in order to accommodate the desires of their consumer base and remain popular.

Pro-life consumers ought not turn a blind eye to the moral corruption of corporations encouraging employees to end their children’s lives. For companies such as Disney, Sony, and Microsoft, which also profit from Uyghur slave labor in concentration camps in China, it should not come as a surprise to anyone that their disrespect for human life extends to the preborn.

Consumers have the opportunity to choose who will receive their money; likewise, they bear the moral responsibility that comes with knowing where the profits of their sale will go. When companies elect to engage in abortion activism, they must bear the repercussions for assuming that the pro-life half of the country would remain complacent.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly listed Harris Teeter as an alternative option to Kroger. Harris Teeter is owned by Kroger.

Joy Stockbauer is a policy analyst for the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council.