After the Supreme Court issued its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization last year, the case that overturned Roe v. Wade, companies were suddenly thrust into the spotlight on abortion and pressured to make difficult choices regarding reproductive health care and their workforces. Now, investors on both sides of the issue are using the power of the proxy to probe companies on abortion and reproductive health, more than doubling the number of proposals filed year over year on political spending, risk oversight, data tracking and other issues linked to the topic.

…Last year, Rhia led a group of investors in filing 11 proposals that inquired about a potential misalignment between the companies’ stated values and political spending, along with four proposals on companies’ preparedness for workplace repercussions related to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Such proposals received between 30% and 47% support, according to Rhia.

Public company intelligence provider MyLogIQ only tracked three proposals that directly mentioned reproductive health care that went to a vote at Russell 3000 companies in 2022, according to data provided to Agenda. None of the proposals passed, and the average support was 24.4%.