A New Beginning for Kroger – And for Preborn Children

By: Laura Strietmann, Executive Director, Cincinnati Right to Life

Kroger has announced that Greg Foran — former CEO of Walmart’s U.S. division — will now lead the company following what it described as an “extensive” year-long search for “an innovative retail leader with a strong track record.” Kroger, America’s largest traditional grocery chain behind only Walmart in overall sales, has been seeking new leadership since March 2025, when former CEO Rodney McMullen was ousted over an undisclosed ethics violation. With Walmart historically holding to more traditional corporate values than Kroger in recent years, many are asking: Could this mark a new beginning for our hometown grocer? Could they begin to respect life in the womb? Will we be able to shop here once again?

A New Chapter for Kroger: What Walmart Leadership Could Mean

Cincinnati Right to Life has long engaged with Kroger as concerned members of our community. As a company headquartered in our own backyard, Kroger’s corporate decisions directly impact not only the marketplace but the moral climate of our city.

In recent years, Cincinnati Right to Life has not hesitated to take action when Kroger adopted policies that conflicted with our mission to protect innocent human life. Our organization organized boycotts, held peaceful protests, and directly engaged company leadership. Rachel Citak delivered testimony at a Kroger shareholder meeting addressing the company’s abortion travel benefit policy, urging the corporation to reconsider its involvement in facilitating abortion.

Walmart’s Corporate Position

While no corporation is perfect, Walmart has demonstrated a more restrained posture on several contentious cultural issues. Notably:

• Walmart has confirmed that it has no plans to seek certification to dispense mifepristone, the abortion pill.
• The company has avoided deeper corporate entanglement in abortion expansion policies.
• Walmart has not aggressively positioned itself as a corporate activist on divisive social agendas.

As consumers who want the best for the companies serving our communities, it is not simply a brand’s response to a current controversy that matters. It is one thing for a company to say it is not taking political sides at the moment. It is another thing entirely to state clearly that it has no plans to expand its involvement in the abortion industry in the future. Walmart, to its credit, confirmed it does not intend to pursue dispensing mifepristone.

A Concerning Moment — and a Public Response

There was even a brief and troubling moment when abortion pills appeared on Kroger’s website. The public backlash was immediate. Concerned consumers and pro-life advocates spoke up quickly and clearly. Kroger soon removed the listing, stating that it had been an error and confirming that the company had not actually dispensed the drugs.

That moment demonstrated two important realities: first, that the abortion pill — now responsible for over 60% of preborn child deaths in America — represents a growing and tragic threat to innocent life; and second, that consumer voices matter. When families raised concerns, Kroger reacted.

The Responsibility of Consumers

As consumers, we are not passive observers. Every dollar we spend is a message about the values we want businesses to uphold.

We want Kroger to succeed and thrive in a competitive marketplace. But long-term success is built on trust, stability, and strong families — not on policies that contribute to the destruction of preborn children, who are quite literally future customers and members of our community.

When corporations involve themselves in controversial moral issues that harm preborn children and their mothers, they risk alienating loyal families and undermining their own long-term growth. A company that claims to serve families should promote pro-family policies that protect life, not facilitate its ending.

A Moment of Opportunity

Kroger’s previous decision to offer abortion travel benefits placed the company in the middle of a deeply divisive moral issue. Leadership changes create moments of opportunity.

With new leadership shaped by Walmart’s corporate culture, Kroger now has the chance to turn the page — to step away from abortion-related policies and refocus on supporting mothers, protecting preborn children, and strengthening the families who fill their stores every day.

As consumers in Cincinnati and beyond, we will continue to encourage policies that respect life and reflect the pro-family values of our community. Our hometown grocer should lead by serving families — not by facilitating the destruction of the very next generation.