Last month, 20 Republican attorneys general told Walgreens it could face legal action if it sold abortion pills in some states.
Walgreens told Politico it will not sell the pills in those states, which includes some where abortion is legal.
"Walgreens" and "#BoycottWalgreens" were trending on Twitter Thursday and Friday as users reacted to the policy.
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Walgreens confirmed Thursday that it will not carry abortion pills in several states, including some in which the pills are still legal.
The phrases "Walgreens" and "#BoycottWalgreens" each trended on Twitter Thursday night into Friday morning as discussion ensued and some users vowed to stop supporting the chain.
The decision, first reported by Politico on Thursday, comes after 20 Republican attorneys general last month wrote to Walgreens and several other pharmacies including CVS, Walmart, and Costco to point out laws that could be violated if the companies provided abortion pills through the mail.
A Walgreens spokesperson told Insider in a statement that it has responded to the states represented by the 20 AGs, and confirmed it will not distribute the abortion pill Mifepristone in any of those states. That group includes Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, and Montana, where the procedure and medications for abortions are largely still legal, Politico reported.
The FDA announced in January that retail pharmacies would be allowed to distribute the pills to those with a prescription; the pills previously were only accessible through doctors or mail-order pharmacies. At the time, Walgreens told Insider that it was working to become FDA-certified to sell abortion pills in the states where they are legal.
A spokesperson told Insider Friday via email that Walgreens still intends to become an FDA-certified seller of the pills, and will distribute the pills "only in those jurisdictions where it is legal and operationally feasible."
While the company wrote to the 20 attorneys general that it would not dispense the pills in their states, it has still not publicly confirmed which states the pills may be available in or whether that list is affected by the policy confirmed Thursday.
Some Twitter users voiced their support of the decision from Walgreens, but several high-profile commentators and Democrats voiced their displeasure with the policy.
"Women across the nation will be denied their right to access healthcare they are legally entitled to because of this awful corporate decision," Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, the highest level elected official in the state where Walgreens is headquartered, tweeted. "@Walgreens must rethink this policy. To all the other pharmacy providers, we'll stand with you so you can provide this lifesaving care."
Ron Klain, a longtime aide to President Joe Biden who left his White House role as Biden's chief of staff earlier this year, cited Walgreen's slogan in his response: "Their slogan is 'Trusted since 1901' -- but if @Walgreens won't fill prescriptions for lawful, needed medicines, where is the "trust" in that?"
"Absolutely awful. This willful corporate choice will prevent so many women from choosing the healthcare they need and have a legal right to," Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Illinois, tweeted. "@Walgreens should reverse course—immediately."
Responses to Politico's Alice Miranda Ollstein's original tweet announcing the news are also filled with hundreds of users saying they will "no longer be spending any money at Walgreens" or "never step foot in a Walgreens again."
Mifepristone is currently the subject of multiple lawsuits, with a Texas judge expected to deliver a ruling in the coming weeks on a challenge from Republican attorneys general looking to overturn the FDA's decades-old approval of the pill. Several Democratic attorneys general filed an argument in the case last month that said banning the pill would lead to an "unprecedented spike" in maternal mortality.
newtostuff1993 on March 5th, 2023 at 19:22 UTC »
The 20 states are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
I can’t believe the article didn’t list them.
allnadream on March 5th, 2023 at 17:04 UTC »
Just to be clear, "abortion" pills are not just for an elective termination. These pills are also used to dispel a miscarried fetus, that hasn't naturally been ejected. These pills help to avoid a much more invasive procedure and sepsis. This won't just affect abortions. While I beleieve the effect on access to abortion is terrible in itself, I think it's also important to note that this will affect access to healthcare for women, even outside that context. Christian Republican women will also be denied necessary medication, to treat a missed miscarriage.
Also, if these states aren't able to retain doctors trained and capable of performing a dilation & curettage procedure, well, then it's really just a matter of time before women who miscarried start dying of sepsis unnecessarily.
adequatulence on March 5th, 2023 at 15:59 UTC »
I am sickened with the religious right imposing their will against women's medical rights and freedom.
I worry about when this spills over to medication for treating STI/STDs.
If Wallgreens or any pharmacy for that matter, were to refuse filling HIV or syphilis medications for example....