Walgreens will stop distributing abortion pills in 20 states
Nathaniel Meyerson and Karma Hassan, CNN
On Friday, Walgreens said it would not distribute abortion drugs in 20 states, succumbing to pressure from anti-abortion lawmakers and lawsuits against the legality of medical abortion.
The company said it would not release mifepristone, the first of two drugs in the medical abortion process, in 20 states following a Feb. 1 letter from GOP attorneys general in those states.
Retail pharmacies have found themselves at the epicenter of the abortion battle. Companies do not want to oppose legislators in states where they may face politically motivated reprisals. GOP leaders have recently targeted businesses ranging from Disney to investment funds.
“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.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has previously said that pharmacies certified to dispense mifepristone can do so directly to those with a prescription from a certified physician.
A spokesman for Rite Aid said the pharmacy chain is monitoring developments.
“Rite Aid is monitoring the latest federal, state, statutory and regulatory developments regarding mifepristone dispensing, and we will continue to evaluate the company’s ability to dispense mifepristone in line with these developments,” spokeswoman Katherine Carter told CNN.
Medical abortion, which currently accounts for the majority of abortions performed in the United States, has become a flashpoint following last year’s Supreme Court ruling to strike down Roe v. Wade.
A federal judge in Texas is expected to rule any day in a lawsuit seeking to block the use of medical abortion nationwide, the largest abortion-related case since the Supreme Court overturned Roe’s decision.
The lawsuit, filed in November by abortion advocates against the FDA, has been seeking agency approval for mifepristone two decades ago.
Abortion rights advocates have sounded the alarm in the case, stressing that a decision in favor of the plaintiffs will affect every corner of the country as the suit is directed against a federal agency.
“If the FDA approval of mifepristone is withdrawn, 64.5 million women of reproductive age in the US will lose access to medical abortion, meaning an exponential increase in harm overnight,” NARAL said in a February statement, citing internal research.
CNN also contacted CVS, Kroger and Walmart about their future plans to distribute mifepristone. Retailers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The-CNN-Wire
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Walgreens’ message won’t distribute abortion pills in 20 states first appeared on KION546.
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