Macon Reporter

In a July  2 Facebook post, Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) accused Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot of using the recent Supreme Court ruling on abortion to the city's advantage.

"Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her economic development team are trying to use abortion politics to their full advantage. They personally dropped off letters at Chicago's main post office to 300 CEOs of Fortune 500 companies located in states where abortion rights are in jeopardy after last week's U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The letter, chock-full of falsities, will be reproduced in a Wall Street Journal ad running later this week and claims that 'Companies are facing a new challenge that will impact the health and well-being of their people.'" Halbrook posted on Facebook.

According to Fox 32, World Business Chicago sent letters Monday to heads of Fortune 500 companies in states where reproductive rights have been lost or may be curtailed. The letters invite the 300 CEOs to move to Chicago for the sake of employees affected by laws banning or criminalizing abortions. 

Heavy restrictions or bans on abortions could apply in 25 states now that the high court has overturned Roe vs. Wade, said the letter. It was signed by Lightfoot, Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments, and Michael Fassnacht, CEO of World Business Chicago.

Fassnacht told the Chicago Sun-Times that he has had "ongoing conversations" with CEOs about how they cannot build a great corporate culture if local laws "don't respect all their employees." But he would not say directly if he has spoken with the heads of Boeing, Caterpillar or Citadel, companies that in recent weeks have said they are taking their headquarters out of Chicago. "I would not be surprised if employees have raised concerns" about the moves, Fassnacht said.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the letter warns that employees in states that have restricted abortion rights "may suffer" and see their lives upended as a result of the decision to end the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right. "As you weigh the repercussions facing your employees, customers and vendors, we welcome the opportunity to highlight the ways in which Chicago remains a welcoming city for all," the letter states.