11 Publicly-Traded Companies That Donated To Co-Sponsors Of Texas Abortion Bill

One of the most controversial state bills passed in September was in Texas with Senate Bill 8, also known as the “heart rate bill” that will make it unlawful to get an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Several news agencies have found a number of public companies that donated to the co-sponsors of the bill.

Sponsor Backers: Newsletter service Popular Information has detailed a list of companies that donated to co-sponsors of Senate Bill 8. Judd Legum, who authors the newsletter, highlighted the fact that some of the companies mentioned have called themselves “champions of women’s empowerment and equality.”

UltraViolet, a women’s rights organization, compiled a list of seven companies that donated more than $100,000 to sponsors of Senate Bill 8.

Here are 11 companies pulled from both lists. 

1. Charter Communications: Per Popular Information, media company Charter Communications Inc CHTR donated a reported $313,000 to the sponsors of Senate Bill 8. UltraViolet listed the Charter Communications donation amount at $219,500.

2. AT&T: Popular Information reports AT&T Inc. T donated $301,000 to the sponsors of Senate Bill 8 over the past several years. AT&T highlighted celebrating Women’s Equality Day several days before the bill was passed. UltraViolet listed the AT&T donation amount at $291,042.

3. Berkshire Hathaway: UltraViolet listed Warren Buffett-led Berkshire Hathaway BRKABRKB donating $128,550 to sponsors of Senate Bill 8. Popular Information did not list Berkshire Hathaway in its report.

4. Exelon: Energy company Exelon Corporation EXC made UltraViolet’s list with a donation total of $124,000 to sponsors of Senate Bill 8. The company was not mentioned by Popular Information.

Related Link: 5 Publicly Traded Companies That Are Pushing Back Against Texas Anti-Abortion Law 

5. Union Pacific: Railway company Union Pacific UNP donated $109,900 to sponsors of Senate Bill 8, according to UltraViolet. The company said in a statement that it has a history of giving to politicians on “both sides of the aisle in compliance with national and state rules.”

“We consider criteria beyond those that directly impact rail operations and business metrics when evaluating contributions and we review our giving to all candidates annually."

6. Chevron: Oil company Chevron Corporation CVX donated $105,500 to sponsors of Senate Bill 8, according to UltraViolet. Chevron said it is “not always aligned with all their views” when asked about the donations to sponsors.

7. Comcast: NBCUniversal and parent company Comcast Corporation CMCSA donated $58,250 to sponsors of Senate Bill 8 over the last three years.

8. General Motors: Automaker General Motors Company GM donated $72,750 to sponsors of Senate Bill 8, according to Popular Information.

9. CVS Health: Pharmacy giant CVS Health Corp CVS donated $72,500 to sponsors of Senate Bill 8. A spokesperson for the company told Popular Information that political contributions are not endorsements of candidates’ policies.

10. UnitedHealth Group: According to Popular Information, health insurance company UnitedHealth Group Inc UNH donated $90,000 to sponsors of Senate Bill 8 over the last three years. UltraViolet lists the donation total at $121,000 to sponsors of the bill.

11. Anthem: Health insurance company Anthem Inc ANTM donated $87,250 to sponsors of Senate Bill 8 according to Popular Information.

Photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash