A number of people have said they are planning on boycotting Pepsi after the company was named in a report listing the top corporate donors to politicians and political committees that played a “central role” in enforcing Texas’ controversial abortion ban.
Popular Information, a newsletter that details companies that donate to politicians backing certain causes, revealed that Pepsi had donated $15,000 to the Texas GOP after the bill which banned the procedure in almost all circumstances after six weeks was signed into law.
The report states that Pepsi continued to donate to the Texas GOP after the so-called heartbeat bill was enacted while continuing to promote its commitment to “empowering women in the workplace, marketplace, and community.”
Despite not being the only company named in Popular Information’s report—with AT&T revealed to have donated $80,000 to “key proponents” of the ban such as the Texas Senate Republican Caucus, who unanimously voted in favor of the bill—a #BoycottPepsi hashtag becoming the top trending Twitter topic in the U.S.
Writer E. Jean Carroll was one of the high-profile figures who said she will boycott Pepsi after they were found to have donated to Republicans who helped push through the abortion bill.
“Need ANOTHER reason to stop drinking Pepsi? PepsiCo sent a big fat check to the GOP legislators who got the TEXAS ABORTION BILL passed,” Carroll tweeted.
In reply, fellow writer Tara Dublin wrote: “Pepsi was always the inferior cola, but I gave up all soda six years ago anyway. It’s poison for your body, just like the GOP #BoycottPepsi.”
Melanie D’Arrigo, a Democrat running for Congress in New York’s 3rd District, also criticized Pepsi, while also naming the other companies in the report.
“Corporations are not people and they are not our friends. CVS Health, Pepsi, AT&T, Walmart are still donors to the GOP legislators leading the Texas abortion ban,” D’Arrigo wrote.
“To protect our rights and our democracy, we must get corporate money out of politics.”
Others who also tweeted the hashtag, including Twitter user @USPstriotSeran, who wrote: “Pepsi doesn’t believe in women’s rights. My body. My choice. If I want an abortion, I’m getting an abortion. No more Pepsi. I prefer Coke anyways.”
Fellow Twitter user Chicago Mudshark added: “Remember Every time you take a sip of Pepsi you are contributing to the people who are banning abortion in Texas #BOYCOTTPEPSI.”
In September 2020, Popular Information named several companies that donated to lawmakers who co-sponsored the restrictive abortion bill in Texas.
However, at the time the finance data available only went up to June 30, 2021, meaning the donations occurred before the abortion ban was signed into law.
However, its updated report covers the period from July 1 to December 31, 2021, meaning the businesses named, including Pepsi, donated to supporters of Texas’ abortion ban, and they “knew what these politicians had done,” said the publication.
Pepsi has been contacted for comment.
The article named AT&T as the biggest donor towards those who helped push through the abortion ban, despite CEO John Stankey saying one of the company’s “core values” was “gender equity and the empowerment of women” in a 2020 Diversity, Equality and Inclusion report.
Popular Information noted how on December 14, 2021, AT&T’s PAC donated $30,000 to Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan, who helped push through Senate Bill 8 through the House.
