Costco Won’t Dispense Abortion Pill After Conservative Pressure Campaign

In a move emboldening right-wing activists to keep up their pressure campaigns, Costco confirmed Thursday that it won’t seek certification to dispense mifepristone, also known as the abortion pill.

In an announcement first reported by Bloomberg News, Costco said the decision was “based on the lack of demand from our members and other patients” for mifepristone, the first drug used in what’s usually a two-step regimen.

Costco did not return HuffPost’s request to elaborate on the decision, but the conservative activist groups who lobbied for it are calling the announcement a big win ― and say they’re setting their sights on more pharmacies.

“Retailers like Costco keep their doors open by selling a lifetime of purchases to families, both large and small. They have nothing to gain and much to lose by becoming abortion dispensaries,” Michael Ross, legal counsel for the Christian legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a statement.

“Retail pharmacies exist to serve the health and wellness of their customers, but abortion drugs like mifepristone undermine that mission by putting women’s health at risk,” he continued.

In reality, abortion pills have proven to be safe and effective, even when dispensed via telehealth, despite claims peddled by anti-abortion groups. Medication abortion accounts for nearly two-thirds of pregnancy terminations in the U.S., up 10% from 2020.

Kiki Freedmand, the co-founder and CEO of abortion pill provider Hey Jane, emphasized the safety of mifepristone and said Costco’s decision was an alarming step in the wrong direction.

“Expanding the number of ways patients can get mifepristone is critical to protecting access to care,” she told HuffPost. “Every pharmacy that chooses to dispense this medication helps break down barriers and ensures people can get safe, legal and essential care in their own communities.”

Mifepristone, she noted, has a safety record that surpasses both penicillin and Viagra.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) told HuffPost it was “deeply disappointing to see this sort of capitulation to the far right’s intimidation” from Costco.

“I don’t want my daughters to grow up in a world with fewer rights than I had, but the