California to End Business With Walgreens Over Abortion Pill Issue

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Facts

  • On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted that the state would cease doing business with Walgreens after the pharmacy chain announced that it wouldn't dispense abortion pills in 20 Republican states.1
  • Walgreens made the announcement on Thursday, saying it wouldn't dispense mifepristone, a pill often used for abortions, following a letter from the states' Republican attorneys general explaining that the company could be breaking the law by dispensing the pill by mail.2
  • The letter came just a couple of months after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) loosened restrictions to allow pharmacies to obtain certification to distribute the pill. Previously, it could only be obtained at specialty offices and clinics. Medication abortion makes up more than 50% of all US abortions.3
  • Among the states that joined in the letter were Kentucky, Mississippi, South Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia, where abortion is illegal; and Alaska, Florida, Iowa, and Montana, where it’s legal. A spokesperson said Walgreens intends to become certified to dispense mifepristone “where it is legal to do [so]” in the future.4
  • This comes at a time when mifepristone is the subject of much legal wrangling, including lawsuits from a manufacturer of the pill, and a physician, in response to bans in North Carolina and West Virginia.5
  • A lawsuit by the conservative group Alliance Defending Freedom attempting to end mifepristone’s FDA approval is also in progress.6

Sources: 1Reuters (a), 2Reuters (b), 3FOX News, 4NBC, 5Associated Press and 6Washington Post.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by AlterNet. Republicans are stooping to bullying in order to expand abortion bans beyond their legal reach. It's going to be difficult for pharmacies to deal with threats like these and navigate areas where state and federal laws conflict, but they should know that the Justice Department has their backs against any legal action taken by these attorneys general or lawmakers.
  • Republican narrative, as provided by Townhall. It's reassuring to see Walgreens responding to the concerns of pro-life citizens and states advocating for the rights of unborn children. The Biden admin. might think mail-order pills are a way around state laws, but that just means states will have to hold companies accountable, as they are doing.

Predictions