People are calling out #BoycottWalgreens after pharmacy giant announces(opens in new tab) Twenty Republican states will stop selling the abortion drug mifepristone. This includes states where abortion is still legal.
The move comes after mounting pressure from a Republican state attorney general who wrote to the company.(opens in new tab) In February, Walgreens threatened legal action if it continued to distribute drugs. The letter was co-signed by attorneys general from states including Texas, Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, West Virginia, North Dakota and South Carolina. Abortion is still legal in some of these states, including Alaska.(opens in new tab)Florida(opens in new tab)Iowa(opens in new tab)and Montana(opens in new tab).
In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone, the first of two pills taken for medical abortion, to be distributed at retail pharmacies in states where abortion is legal.
Tablets for medical abortion now available in pharmacies under new FDA rule
Referencing the Roe v Wade reversal, the letter was sent not only to Walgreens, but also to CVS, Rite Aid, Costco, Walmart, Kroger and Albertsons. Walgreens yielded and told Politico that he had responded to the signatories(opens in new tab)pharmacies do not dispense tablets by mail or in stores located in these states.
People have been calling for a boycott of the company since Walgreens’ decision.
“Walgreens” and “#BoycottWalgreens(opens in new tab)‘ trended on Twitter on Friday and continued to gain momentum throughout the weekend. Tweet from Politico reporter Alice Miranda Allstein(opens in new tab) It also included calls such as “I will not shop at Walgreens until Walgreens reverses this decision” and “I will no longer spend money at Walgreens”.
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Many users called to cancel their Walgreens accounts, but some users displayed receipts saying they had canceled. People criticized pharmacies for terrorizing tactics from anti-abortion politicians.
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Abortion drugs account for more than half(opens in new tab) This commonly used method of abortion is considered safe and effective.(opens in new tab)according to the Guttmacher Institute, a sexual health research organization. Currently, access to abortion pills is legal in 37 states, but 15 require a doctor’s prescription.
Walgreens, along with rival CVS, said it is applying for approval to dispense abortion drugs following the FDA’s announcement.(opens in new tab)But Walgreens’ decision to stop distribution of the pill in about half a dozen states was more than disappointing, and came amid a nationwide battle to maintain reproductive justice.
