Posted on May 5, 2022
CREDO will always fight for reproductive rights. AT&T funds anti-abortion politicians.
When we heard the stunning news this week that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and block abortion access for millions, we were collectively devastated and our hearts sank.
Yet, this news also reaffirmed our efforts, as an ethical and progressive company, to fight even harder for reproductive justice and to hold other companies accountable for funding anti-abortion efforts.
Recent investigative reporting by Popular Information found that six major corporations — including AT&T, a notorious donor to conservative causes — are financing an assault on reproductive rights, donating thousands of dollars in multiple states to politicians who support abortion bans.
In their reporting for Popular Information, Judd Legum, Tesnim Zekeria and Rebecca Crosby dug into the political giving of major corporations to politicians in several states who support abortion bans and harsh restrictions on reproductive freedom.
They found that six major corporations — CVS, Merck, Comcast, United Health, Anheuser-Busch, and yes, AT&T — collectively donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to anti-abortion politicians in states like Texas, Idaho and Oklahoma where some of the most restrictive abortion bills have been introduced.
As Popular Information points out, AT&T executives have, in the recent past, gone out of their way to praise their alleged women-centered policies, boasting that the company’s core values include “gender equity and the empowerment of women” and that AT&T would “continue to be an ally by advocating for and honoring women.”
Yet, their analysis paints a starkly different picture of AT&T’s allyship of women — to the tune of almost $350,000 donated to anti-abortion politicians:
Since 2020, AT&T has given a total of $40,100 to 33 co-sponsors of 15-week abortion bans in Florida and Arizona; and 10 co-sponsors of 6-week abortion bans in Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Idaho.
AT&T also donated more than $300,000 to the co-sponsors of Texas’ abortion ban.
We’re not at all surprised that AT&T makes this list. As we’ve detailed time and time again, AT&T has funded right-wing causes and politicians for years.
Unlike AT&T, we will never compromise women’s rights, reproductive justice or our progressive values for profit. In fact, our philanthropy, which is powered by our members who use our products and services every day, funds the causes that align with our values — including groups like Fair Fight Action, Rainforest Action Network, Amnesty International and Color of Change.
If you’re not already a CREDO member and would like to switch to the mobile company that shares your values and donates to progressive groups every month, please check out CREDO Mobile here.