BREAKING: Chili’s Cancels Planned Parenthood Fundraiser After Pro-Lifers Raise Objection

This just in…

Yesterday, we learned that Chili’s restaurants in Kentucky and Indiana were hosting a “Give Back” program that would donate 15% of meal purchases to Planned Parenthood on behalf of customers holding a special voucher. However, the 2ndVote movement and Pro-Lifers took to social media in an overwhelming fashion to tell Chili’s that our dollars would not go to companies that help fund Planned Parenthood’s pro-abortion agenda.

This morning Chili’s contacted us directly to say that the fundraiser has been cancelled!

Here is the statement that came from the corporate office:

“At Chili’s, we have a longstanding history and take pride in giving back to unite our local communities together. We recognize every community is unique, and encourage our restaurant managers and franchise partners to support causes that help bring communities together and leave a positive impact on our valued Guests, neighbors, friends and families we serve. Yesterday, we learned that an independent franchise partner of Chili’s in Indiana and Kentucky made the decision to host a Chili’s Give Back Event on behalf of Planned Parenthood Indiana and Kentucky. While our franchise partner had the best intentions; we have received growing feedback and concern from community members regarding the Give Back Event. This feedback does not reflect Chili’s focus on bringing communities together and the event was never intended to be viewed as a partisan event or political statement, therefore we, along with our franchise partner, have decided to cancel the event. We will more clearly communicate the focus of Chili’s charitable giving efforts, so that our restaurant managers and franchise partners can feel empowered to support local organizations that bring communities together.”

While we are concerned that Chili’s would align its brand with an organization like Planned Parenthood, we are glad the corporate leadership made the right decision to cancel the event.

However, the most important lesson from this week is how the Pro-Life movement and conservatives used direct engagement and the power of their wallets show a major corporation that remaining neutral made better business sense. For that, we thank all of our 2ndVote members for your participation and support! It’s your voice that made this possible.

Remember, you can see where Chili’s and hundreds of other companies stand on all the issues in our company database. Also be sure to visit our pro-life resource page for a list of companies that directly support Planned Parenthood.

You can also contact Chili’s directly to thank the corporate leadership for making the right decision and remind them why we pay attention to how corporation fund liberal advocacy organizations like Planned Parenthood.

Are you looking for the latest information on how corporations fund issue advocacy so that you can match your shopping dollars with your values? Be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you can receive the latest updates from 2ndVote.