Newsom closes Walgreens from California business after abortion pill decision

Gregory Krieg and Nathaniel Meyerson, CNN

California will end all business with Walgreens, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Monday, days after the company announced it would not sell abortion drugs in 21 Republican-dominated states.

“California will not do business with @walgreens – or any company that cowards extremists and puts women’s lives at risk,” the Democratic governor tweeted. “Were made.”

Newsom’s opposition comes at an already challenging time for the future of medical abortion, which is used in more than half of all procedures nationwide, as a Texas judge weighs a ban on mifepristone, the first pill in a two-drug abortion scheme. Walgreens has responded to legal pressure from Republican attorneys general in 21 states, including several states where abortion remains legal, and has decided to partially suspend its efforts to sell the drug.

“We intend to become a certified pharmacy and will only distribute mifepristone in jurisdictions where it is legal and practical to do so,” the company said in a statement last week.

Walgreens declined to comment on Newsom’s tweet.

The clash between Newsom and Walgreens, a major chain with thousands of stores across the country, marks the latest round of controversy since the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade. The ruling, handed down last June, has rocked national politics ahead of the 2022 midterm elections — many Democrats believe the backlash has helped their candidates in tough, swinging races for state and local seats — and complicated relations between political and business leaders.

The state is currently “reviewing all relationships between Walgreens and the state,” Newsom spokesman Brandon Richards said. He also accused the company of giving in to “right-wing hooligans”.

Newsom’s office announced Wednesday that California would “revoke” a $54 million contract extension with Walgreens that was due to take effect May 1, 2023.

The California Department of General Services has a contract with a retailer to “purchase special pharmacy prescription drugs” that are primarily used by the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and its correctional health care system, Newsom’s office said in a statement.

The state will explore other options to “provide the same services,” its office said.

Walgreens senior director of external relations Fraser Engerman said on Wednesday the company was “deeply disappointed” by the announcement and said the decision not to renew the contract was made based on “false and misleading information.”

Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement late last week criticizing Walgreens for bowing to political pressure from Republican Party officials.

“Medicated abortion is safe, effective, and serves as a lifeline for people in need of critical care, especially those from vulnerable and underserved communities,” Bonta said Friday. “I am disappointed that Walgreens has chosen to succumb to political pressure from anti-abortion states to cut off access to these essential and life-saving drugs.”

The company on Wednesday tried to clarify its position, although their latest statement only added to the confusion.

“Our position has always been that once we receive FDA clearance, Walgreens plans to release mifepristone in any jurisdiction where it is legal,” Engerman said. Medical abortion is legal and affordable in states like Kansas and Iowa, among others, despite opposition from senior Republicans who have threatened to sue.

In a letter to Kansas Attorney General Chris Kobach, an anti-abortion Republican, last month, Walgreens said it “does not intend to distribute mifepristone in your state and does not intend to supply mifepristone in your state from any of our pharmacies. ”

Abortion remains under the protection of Kansas state law. The state voted overwhelmingly last summer to block lawmakers’ attempts to ban the procedure after the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade less than two months ago.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in early January that pharmacies certified to dispense mifepristone can do so directly to those with a prescription from the prescribing doctor.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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Taylor Romine and Jack Forrest of CNN contributed to this report.