Wal-Mart Caves to the Pro-Abortion Crowd
Effective March 20, Wal-Mart began stocking the non-abortion abortion pill Plan B. This policy reversal was made after the company lost lawsuits in Illinois and Massachusetts, forcing them to carry the pill in those states.
From the Sapulpa Daily Herald, “We expect more states to require us to sell emergency contraceptives,” said Ron Chomiuk, vice president of Pharmacy for the chain. “Because of this, and the fact that this is an FDA-approved product, we feel it is difficult to justify being the country’s only major pharmacy chain not selling it.”
As a former Wal-Mart employee (ISD, Bentonville, ’97-’98), I’ve watched with great sadness the company I once loved so much slowly strip itself of just about everything admirable. I’ve actively defended Wal-Mart in the face of accusations regarding the environment, slave labor, poor wages, etc., but the recent decision by Wal-Mart to stock the abortion pill has put me in a position where I can no longer do so. The decision to carry this abortifacient marks, for me, the final step in Wal-Mart’s seemingly concerted effort to strip itself of every ideal that Sam Walton stood for. That the world’s largest retailer and private employer would cave in to pro-abortion groups and assist in the death of millions of pre-born children is unconscionable. My wife and I almost always have a “Wal-Mart list” going on our refrigerator. Now, it appears that my wife, my son, and my unborn child will have to make that a “Target list.” I’ll grant that they, too, carry this horrid pill, as do many other major pharmacies, but it’s not a question of the bad being bad. It’s a question of the “good” becoming bad, and Wal-Mart has just crossed that line. Please, for the sake of the millions of silenced voices, reconsider your position on this pill. Ultimately, you, as the CEO, will be held responsible for the infanticide in which your company is assisting. You can change the course of your company, should you choose. I beg you to do so.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Should we as pro-lifers call for a general boycott of the company? I don’t know. As a general rule, boycotts are rarely effective in any tangible sense, though I can see the value in the statement it makes, even if it doesn’t markedly impact the target’s bottom line. Though I would probably stop short of calling for such a boycott, I have no hesitation in suggesting that those who care about pro-life issues to prayerfully consider if they should refrain from doing business with the company, and, if they do so, to let the company know. It may be like spitting in the wind, but we will all be called on to give account for our deeds done in the body, whether good or bad. Our actions will be judged, not their results.
For those that buy the line from Plan B’s manufacturer, let me quote from their web site on “How Plan B works“:
Plan B® works like a regular birth control pill. It prevents pregnancy mainly by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary, and may also prevent the fertilization of an egg (the uniting of sperm with the egg). Plan B® may also work by preventing it from attaching to the uterus (womb). It is important to know that Plan B® will not affect a fertilized egg already attached to the uterus; it will not affect an existing pregnancy.
Here, we have a very convenient and subtle redefinition of pregnancy. To them, and to countless others, pregnancy starts at implantation, but what’s significant about implantation? Morally, not a thing. The location of the fertilized egg (or, more accurately, baby) has changed, and it’s now attached to something, but the baby itself is basically unchanged from this process. Duramed is correct in making their statement only if their definition of pregnancy is correct, which it’s not. It’s deceptive and self-serving, and, ultimately, infanticidal.