Sen. Tom Cotton, reacting to CEOs' abortion rights ad, says 'some things are bigger than the bottom line’
Sen. Tom Cotton fired back at top executives on Wednesday after business leaders at nearly 200 companies last week signed a letter denouncing abortion bans as being “bad for business.”
The Republican lawmaker from Arkansas tweeted his rebuke alongside videos of a speech he delivered on Wednesday, according to a log of his remarks on his website.
Mentioning the letter, which appeared as a full-page ad in The New York Times on June 10, Cotton argued that certain things were more important than business.
“Last week, hundreds of liberal CEOs took out an ad saying pro-life laws that protect unborn babies are ‘bad for business,’” Cotton tweeted. “But some things are bigger than the bottom line. Life is worth fighting for.”
Business leaders such as Bloomberg chairman Peter Grauer, fashion designers Diane von Furstenberg and Rebecca Minkoff and Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman signed the letter. It called on companies to “stand up for reproductive health care.”
“Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health, independence and economic stability of our employees and customers,” the letter stated. “Simply put, it goes against our values, and is bad for business.”
The letter came after multiple states, notably Georgia and Alabama, signed controversial laws that placed tight restrictions on abortions.
Cotton appeared to echo some points in his speech, accusing companies of negatively using their power in the debate.
“The loudest objections to pro-life laws haven’t come from normal citizens but from cultural elites & giant corporations wielding their power as a weapon,” he tweeted. “We’re witnessing a disturbing attempt to shut down debate on an issue of life and death. We have to call it out.”
He went on to slam CEOs as being “politically correct” and claimed they “are bullying the majority of Americans” over their stance on abortion in an effort to have company-focused individuals working for them.
“Why? Because CEOs want company men and women, not family men & women,” Cotton claimed. “They support their employees, as long as they stay unattached and on the clock.”
Fox Business’ Katherine Lam contributed to this report.