Major U.S. companies such as Amazon, DoorDash, and CVS Health have publicly expressed their support for reproductive rights, but this year, a group supporting the re-election of Indiana Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita, who supports a complete abortion ban. donated to.
He was also reprimanded by the state Supreme Court for criticizing a doctor who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim in Ohio.
The corporate contributions detailed in publicly available filings were made to the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), a so-called 527 committee (a so-called tax-exempt political campaign group named after the U.S. tax code). It exists to channel state-contributed funds into key state races.
In 2024, Amazon, DoorDash, and CVS Health donated $425,000 to Raga. Mr. Raga also donated $255,000 to Mr. Rokita, who is participating in a lawsuit against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over accommodations for workers undergoing abortions. Signs amicus brief in U.S. Supreme Court challenge to Food and Drug Administration approval of the abortion drug mifepristone. and sought access to personal health records to prosecute women seeking abortions.
Altria, AT&T, and Comcast are also among the major publicly traded companies that publicly support reproductive rights, donating to ragas supporting attorney general campaigns across the country. (In 2024, Altria contributed $450,000, AT&T contributed $125,000, and Comcast contributed $125,000.)
Republican and Democratic contributions to the 527 Committee have been tracked for years by the Center for Political Accountability, a Washington think tank, which highlighted donations to Raga and Rokita.
In August, Bruce Buchanan, a professor of business ethics at New York University’s Stern School of Management, wrote about the 527 committee in his foreword to the CPA report: The American public has little awareness of their influence, and even less of their funding and methods. This is unfortunate.
“…as major corporations open their checkbooks to these 527s, especially the Republican Attorneys General Association (Raga), these funds elect state officials who actively promote policies that run counter to stakeholder groups throughout society. He will be re-elected.”
Many large U.S. companies have made public statements about their support for employees in light of Dobbs v. Jackson, the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that stripped the federal government of its right to abortion, and subsequent state bans. Announced.
In May 2022, after the Dobbs information leak, Amazon offered employees up to $4,000 in travel expenses for non-life-threatening treatments, including abortions, if the procedure is not available within 100 miles of the employee’s home. announced that it would pay. In 2024, Amazon donated $150,000 to Raga as tough post-Dobbs bans were implemented in Republican-controlled states, including Indiana, where Mr. Rokita is pushing for an outright ban.
In June 2022, shortly after the Dobbs incident, a DoorDash spokesperson said the company would cover “certain travel expenses” for employees who are forced to travel out of state for abortion care, and added: He added: Health plans provide fair and timely access to safe health care. ”This year, DoorDash paid Raga $150,000.
CVS Health said it is committed to “making out-of-state abortion services more accessible and affordable” for employees in states where abortion is prohibited. In 2024, he donated $125,000 to Raga.
The pattern of corporations donating through ragga to Rokita and other politicians who are at odds with their professed corporate values is being repeated when it comes to climate change policy. Amazon, Doordash, and CVS Health have also publicly committed to action to combat climate change. In Indiana, Mr. Rokita has been heavily involved in litigation against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Securities and Exchange Commission over carbon emissions standards.
None of the companies responded to requests for comment. In response to a Guardian report last year about donations to 527 committees used to help pass a strict anti-abortion bill in North Carolina, a spokesperson for software giant Intuit said one of the company’s defenses: Outlined.
“Our financial support does not fully support any position taken by any individual policymaker or organization,” the spokesperson said. “Intuit is nonpartisan and advocates for our customers by working with policymakers and leaders on both sides. We believe that engagement with policymakers is essential to a strong democracy and we Donations are just one of the many ways Intuit works on behalf of our customers, employees and the communities we serve.”
In the same report, a Bank of America spokesperson said the 527 committees can only use donations for “operational and administrative purposes” and cannot support candidates or voting efforts. Ta. The CPA argued that it was a distinction without a difference, given that there are 527 committees to select the governor, attorney general, and other state officials.
In a statement to the Guardian about donations to the city of Laga by companies publicly committed to supporting the rights that Republican attorneys general have attacked, Bruce Fried, CPA chairman and co-author of the 2024 report. He said: The company has policies and frameworks in place to address, manage, and assess the risks of political spending.
“They need this to control their spending and protect themselves.”
Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Mike Schmull said his party’s candidate against Mr. Rokita, Destiny Wells, was “the first and only person in the AG race to have the backing of Hoosiers rather than special interests or out-of-state giants.” candidate.” -Donor.
“Todd Rokita is out of touch with important issues, attacking women and doctors, and threatening the medical privacy of Hoosiers. The choice is clear.”
