{"id":255626,"date":"2021-10-23T09:39:05","date_gmt":"2021-10-23T14:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=255626"},"modified":"2021-10-22T16:20:53","modified_gmt":"2021-10-22T21:20:53","slug":"companies-pro-life-laws-pro-abortion-groups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/companies-pro-life-laws-pro-abortion-groups\/","title":{"rendered":"Do these corporations really support pro-life laws, as pro-abortion groups claim? Not quite."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Pro-abortion <\/span>groups<\/span><\/a> have\u00a0<\/span>taken aim<\/span><\/a> at several corporations this past week, claiming the companies have provided funding for Texas\u2019s SB 8, popularly known as the Heartbeat Act, and for a similar bill being written in Florida.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Democratic super-PAC <\/span>American Bridge 21st Century<\/span><\/a>, led by former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, has created a group of <\/span>ads<\/span><\/a> decrying the alleged influence of \u201cbig corporate money\u201d from Disney, AT&T, and NBCUniversal in supporting these bills. Meanwhile, the <\/span>Women\u2019s March<\/span><\/a> has launched a petition to urge companies \u201cto immediately cease all political support for the anti-choice politicians who’s [sic] bill functionally ended abortion access in Texas.”\u00a0<\/span>The companies named by the March are AT&T, Charter Communications, Berkshire Hathaway, Exelon, UnitedHealth Group, Union Pacific, and Chevron.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is an ironic move on the part of both groups. None of the corporations on the list could be characterized as champions for life, and some are quite the opposite. <\/span>Disney<\/span><\/a>, for example, threatened to cease all filming in Georgia over pro-life legislation passed in that state in 2019. And <\/span>NBCUniversal<\/span><\/a> donated more than twice as much money to candidates who opposed<\/em> SB 8 as they did to those who supported it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Disney works in oppressive countries, yet threatens to flee pro-life Georgia<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Most of the other corporations play both ends against the middle, politically speaking. <\/span>AT&T<\/span><\/a> appears to donate to both Republican and Democratic candidates in exactly equal proportions. The average of <\/span>Charter Communications<\/span><\/a>\u2019 and <\/span>Exelon<\/span><\/a>\u2019s political donations has similarly been roughly equal since 2008, albeit with a slight preference for Republicans. And although <\/span>Union Pacific<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Chevron<\/span><\/a> give a clear majority of their political donations to Republican candidates, they also give a significant amount to Democratic candidates. <\/span>UnitedHealth Group<\/span><\/a>, on the other hand, has consistently given the lion\u2019s share to Democratic candidates since 2008.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It should be noted that donations to one party or the other do not necessarily equate to a particular position on the issue of abortion, which a spokesman from AT&T was quick to <\/span>note<\/span><\/a>, saying, \u201cAT&T has never taken a position on the issue of abortion,\u201d and \u201cAT&T\u2019s employee political action committees have never based contribution decisions on a legislator\u2019s positions on the issue of abortion.\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, one company on the list <\/span>does<\/span><\/i> have an inferrable position on the issue of abortion, due to its vested financial interest therein \u2014 and that position is <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> pro-life. The chair and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, as well as its leading shareholder, is <\/span>Warren Buffett<\/span><\/a>. Buffett is one of the <\/span>billionaires<\/span><\/a> who is invested in and profiting from worldwide sales of the abortion pill.<\/span><\/p>\n