The University of Alabama is expected to return a $21.5 million donation it received in September after the donor advised women against attending the school because of the state's new abortion ban, according to The Associated Press.
Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. pledged $26.5 million to the university last year, $21.5 million of which he has paid so far. The relationship between Culverhouse and the school began to sour last week, though, after he called on students to boycott the university in response to a new state law, which bans abortion in almost every case except danger to the life of the mother.
“I don’t want anybody to go to that law school, especially women, until the state gets its act together,” Culverhouse, a Florida real estate investor and lawyer, said in the interview.
Shortly after Culverhouse made his comments, the university announced it was considering returning the money. The school told the AP it had been considering returning his donation before his interview, saying he had attempted to leverage the donation to influence how the school was run.
