Walgreens announced it does not plan to dispense a major abortion medication in some states where the pills remain legal amid a shifting landscape after a number of state officials threatened legal action.
The company said that it does not intend to seek certification from the Food and Drug Administration to dispense mifepristone, the first of two abortion-inducing drugs used to terminate a pregnancy through 10 weeks, at their brick-and-mortar locations in several states where abortions and the abortion medication remain legal, including Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, and Montana.
It follows over 20 Republican attorneys general calling on the company not to proceed with dispensing the abortion medication, warning of legal action.
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“We have responded to the state attorneys general letter to Walgreens dated February 1 by indicating we will not dispense Mifepristone in their respective states,” a Walgreens spokesperson said in a statement. “We are not distributing Mifepristone at this time. We intend to be a certified pharmacy and will distribute Mifepristone only in those jurisdictions where it is legal and operationally feasible.”
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach had told the pharmaceutical chain not to seek providing the abortion medication in the state, claiming he would legally challenge it. A law that would ban offering abortion care via telemedicine in Kansas was blocked by a state judge in November.
Kobach said late last month that he had received confirmation from Walgreens that they would not be dispensing the abortion medication in Kansas.
“This is a significant victory for the pro-life cause and for women’s health,” Kobach said in a statement. “The dispensing of these pills without a supervising physician present would expose women to complications and potentially to coercion as well. I’m grateful Walgreens has responded quickly and reasonably and intends to fully comply with the law.”
In response to the decision not to sell the abortion medication in states where it is legal, a number of people have taken to Twitter to call for boycotting the company.
“American women will let [Walgreens] know exactly how we feel about their cowardice in the face of right wing threats. #BoycottWalgreens,” one person tweeted.
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The FDA announced earlier this year that retail pharmacies could become certified to offer abortion medication to patients who have received a prescription from a qualified health provider. Previously, abortion medication had to be prescribed and dispensed by clinics, medical offices, hospitals, or under the supervision of a certified health provider.
CVS has also said it intends to go through the certification process to offer the abortion medication, though it has not clarified in which states it plans to sell the medication.
