CVS Health
Risk Level:
Summary:
CVS Health advocates for the Equality Act, supports transgender athletes playing in female sports, and funds the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). CVS did adopt viewpoint protections for its employees. It does not discriminate against faith-based charities. However, CVS fired a Catholic nurse who refused to administer what she believed were life-ending drugs only months after ending its longstanding religious exemptions. Despite this ongoing wrongful termination lawsuit, CVS has applied for FDA approval to dispense the abortion drug mifepristone at its pharmacies. CVS also pledges to vet vendors for LGBTQ policies. CVS provides travel benefits for abortion while pushing for the use of abortion-inducing drugs across the country. For these reasons, CVS Health receives a "High Risk" rating.
Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.
CVS Health fired a Catholic nurse practitioner after she refused to prescribe or administer abortifacients, citing her religious beliefs (1). The nurse had worked with CVS for multiple years without qualms until CVS changed its religious exemption rules in 2022 and tried to force the nurse to prescribe life-ending drugs that go against her religious beliefs (2). The former employee is suing CVS for religious discrimination in an ongoing lawsuit. CVS received a score of 100 on the Corporate Equality Index from the HRC. Among other requirements, this means the company has pledged to vet vendors based on LGBTQ policies (3). CVS has applied for FDA approval to dispense abortion drugs (4).
Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.
Donations stay within the health sector, benefitting a wide range of charities across the US. They encourage matching grants for volunteer hours rather than employee donations and do not discriminate against religious groups. CVS Health established a Faith-Based Partnerships group in 2020 to collaborate for health purposes (1).
Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.
CVS Health adopted viewpoint protection language to include in its employment nondiscrimination statement; it also seeks diverse suppliers and talent (1).
Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.
CVS Health advocates for the Equality Act and transgender participation in girls’ sports (1) (2). Furthermore, CVS has committed to multiple acts of engagement for the LGBTQ community (3). Whistleblowers allege that CVS has mandatory “antiracism” training programs that feature core tenets of critical race theory (4)(5)(6). The company signed an open letter opposing a Florida bill that would prevent teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in schools to kids in K-3rd grade (7).
Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.
CVS Health is a corporate sponsor of the HRC (1). CVS gives to a variety of health-centered charities free from ideological prejudice (2). However, CVS also provides abortion travel benefits for its employees (3). CVS continues to support abortion through its abortion-inducing drugs that it sells for profit (4). CVS committed $600 million to the Black Lives Matter movement and related causes (5)(6).
All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 28, 2023
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