CPAC joins coalition letter to denounce Walmart’s unrestricted abortion benefits

August 24, 2022

Mr. Doug McMillon

President and Chief Executive Officer, Walmart Inc.

Walmart Inc.

702 SW 8th Street

Bentonville, AR 72716

Dear Mr. McMillon:

As the nation’s largest private employer and grocer, Walmart touches the lives of hundreds of millions of people throughout the freedom-loving world. Yet, millions of American consumers do not realize that by patronizing Walmart, they are funding woke policies they morally oppose.

A perfect example is abortion. In a recent revision to its leave policy, Walmart will now provide virtually unrestricted abortion benefits. In prior years, the company policy was to offer benefits related to abortion only in cases “when the health of the mother would be in danger if the fetus were carried to term, the fetus could not survive the birthing process, or death would be imminent after birth.” But now, Walmart has decided to encourage more abortions by deleting the condition that the mother’s health be in danger “if the fetus were carried to term.” The new policy just says it will cover abortions, “when there is a health risk to the mother, rape or incest, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage or lack of fetal viability.” This lawyer-engineered language specifying health in this context means abortion on demand and they know it. “Health risks” unrelated to the baby being carried to term covers mental stress, missing work, or any other reason whatsoever. Walmart is effectively providing funding to their 1.6 million employees and their dependents to cover abortion on demand, including expenditures for the abortion procedure and travel costs and when not available within 100 miles.

The bottom line is that Walmart-supported abortions are sure to increase in the coming years— more babies laid at the altar of “choice” because of your financial contributions. It also does not escape our attention that supporting such a heinous policy conveniently keeps women at their Walmart jobs rather than at home caring for themselves and their babies.

Not only is your pro-abortion policy reprehensible, but your touting of a small increase in adoption benefits as a way to atone for what you know to be an immoral, anti-woman policy is offensive, especially for women. Why was the increase not offered before? Why now? Americans know why.

Abortion is not the only issue where Walmart seems almost eager to offend mainstream conservatives. Whether it is the company’s $100 million embrace of so-called “racial equity” or its effort to punish Republicans for questioning the integrity of the 2020 election, Walmart has sadly become just another woke leftist institution.

Surely as board members with a fiduciary responsibility to your shareholders, you must understand that Walmart’s increasingly woke policies are alienating millions of your customers who will take their business elsewhere. Your founder Sam Walton would be appalled.

In the past, Walmart has relied on conservative organizations and office holders to further policies that benefited Walmart, its shareholders, and its customers. And when anti-capitalist politicians and activists attacked the company for its success and profitability, we stepped up to defend Walmart.

We stood by the company because it was generally pro-family and because we embrace free enterprise and believe in the benefits of capitalism. We can no longer tolerate your leftist policy agenda – particularly when it facilitates the harming of innocent human life.

The political calculus of embracing woke policies to curry favor with leftist politicians might make sense to some. But we can neither condone such a cynical strategy nor forgive Walmart for adopting it. Conservatives who seek a government that reflects their values should take their business elsewhere. And no self-proclaimed conservative official or conservative organization should accept funding from Walmart while it supports the policies of the woke left.

Sincerely,

William L. Walton, CPAC Executive Board Member

Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Woman for America (CWA)

Mercedes Schlapp, Fmr. Senior White House Official, President’s George W. Bush and Donald Trump Administrations

Matt Whitaker, Fmr. Acting U.S Attorney General

Dr. Ben Carson, Founder and Chairman, American Cornerstone Institute & Fmr. U.S Secretary of H.U.D

Jim DeMint, Chairman, Conservative Partnership Institute and Fmr. U.S Senator (SC)

Mark Meadows, Senior Partner, Conservative Partnership Institute and Fmr. U.S Congressman (NC)

Kevin Roberts, President, The Heritage Foundation

Marjorie Dannenfelser, President, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America

Amb. Ken Blackwell, Former Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission

Terry Schilling, President, American Principles Project