When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced earlier this year that it would allow drugstore chains to sell mifepristone, the heavily regulated first drug taken in a two-drug regimen for medical abortion, Walgreens and other drugstore chains rallied, saying that they will go through the required certification process.
But after attorneys general in 20 Republican-controlled states wrote an ominous letter to the vice president of Walgreens, reminding her of the abortion laws and — likely — warning that it was illegal to ship abortion pills to the U.S., he said the company would sell several newscasts that it would not sell in those states. The company received a similar letter from Kansas Atty. General Kris Kobach – and wrote back that he would not sell the drug in Kansas.
Walgreens has been urging in statements in recent days that, once certified, it will sell the abortion pills in states where they are legal.
But the retailer’s statements to the public contradict what he has said to these conservative states. Abortion — including medical abortion — is legal in half of the 21 states Walgreens wrote to and was later assured that the retailer would not sell in those states. And in most states where it’s legal, people are allowed to take abortion drugs outside of a supplier’s office — meaning Walgreens can sell in those states. In the remaining states, abortion is, with few exceptions, prohibited or in one case unavailable because there is no abortion clinic.
The one thing all 21 states have in common are elected officials who oppose the right to abortion.
It would be understandable for Walgreens officials to issue a statement saying their hands are tied in the 10 states that ban abortion. But instead the pharmacy chain collapsed under political pressure, and that is despicable.
No wonder California Governor Gavin Newsom exploded on Twitter on Monday. to explain, “California doesn’t do business Walgreens – or any company hiding from the extremists and putting women’s lives at risk. Were done.” It’s still not clear whether the state of California can be “done” with Walgreens and what that might mean for state-subsidized prescriptions. The relationship is more complicated than Newsom’s statement suggests, but we certainly understand his frustration.
In a post-Roe era where states are trying to restrict abortion, including medical abortion, which is more readily available than surgical abortion, it is outrageous that a pharmacy chain should be associated in any way with obstructing access. Abortion is health care, and that should be Walgreen’s number one concern.
It also sets a dangerous precedent that could lead to more people trying to get companies to take away their healthcare entitlements. In states where abortion is unsafe and under constant attack, chains like Walgreens are lifelines for pregnant women with limited resources to go to a clinic.
When Walgreens capitulated to Kobach’s letter, which warned the company not to mail-order mifepristone to Kansas — where access to medical abortion is under attack — and assured him it wouldn’t sell the drug in the state at all, the attorney said General said in a news release that Walgreens’ decision was “an important victory for the pro-life cause and for women’s health.” Medical abortion is extremely safe. It was nothing more than political scare tactics — and the fact that Walgreens fell for it is deeply troubling.
Shame on the Walgreens executives who killed years of customer care just when they needed help most. This spineless betrayal has already sent the company’s stock plummeting amid understandable calls for a boycott. Walgreens needs to change course, break promises to anti-abortion activists and loudly affirm that the chain will indeed sell mifepristone in every state where abortion is legal.
Source: LA Times
Roger Stone is an author and opinion journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He is known for his controversial and thought-provoking views on a variety of topics, and has a talent for engaging readers with his writing.
