Walgreens Opts Against Selling Abortion Pills in GOP-Controlled States After Legal Pressure

After legal threats from GOP lawmakers, retail pharmacy giant Walgreens will not dispense abortion drugs in almost two dozen states. In a letter sent at the beginning of February, almost two dozen Republican state attorneys general threatened legal action against Walgreens if the firm started selling mifepristone in their jurisdictions. This letter served as the basis for Walgreens’ decision.

The second-largest drugstore chain in the country, Walgreens, confirmed the choice that they are not dispensing mifepristone at this time. The company aspires to be a licensed pharmacy and will only deliver mifepristone in countries where it is practical and legally allowed.

According to the company, Walgreens will not distribute abortion medication via delivery or retail outlets. Over a dozen states including Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia are among the states in question. There are some states where abortion is legal, but Walgreens will still not sell its medication there

The company is working on attaining the certification to distribute the medication, because of this they are not currently selling the medication across the country.

The attorney general of Kansas Kris Kobach wrote a letter to Walgreens stating:

“In my letter to Walgreens, we made clear that Kansas will not hesitate to enforce the laws against mailing and dispensing abortion pills, including bringing a RICO action to enforce the federal law prohibiting the mailing of abortion pills. Evidently, Walgreens understood that my office was serious about this. I’m grateful that Walgreens responded quickly and reasonably and intends to comply with the relevant laws.”

Only specialized offices and clinics were permitted to supply mifepristone for more than 20 years. An FDA ruling in December 2021 made it permanently possible for doctors to issue mifepristone prescriptions via mail and telemedicine sessions.

Republican attempts to stop pharmacists from selling abortion drugs were dubbed dangerous and plain unacceptable by the Biden administration. The White House representative, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters that this is all a part of the ongoing push by anti-abortion zealots to impose a backdoor ban on abortion.

The most recent ruling serves as a reminder of how easily abortion may be restricted even in jurisdictions where it is still legal. All it takes are threats and political pressure. Advocates have cautioned that the mere thought of abortion operations being prohibited is enough to prevent some doctors from offering the treatment.

According to a news agency, the coalition of Republican attorneys general also requested that CVS, Albertsons, Rite Aid, Costco, Walmart, and Kroger stop dispensing the drug.

A Rite Aid spokeswoman told that the business is watching the latest federal, state, legal, and regulatory developments involving the dispensing of mifepristone. Rite Aid will continue to assess the company’s capacity to administer mifepristone in compliance with those changes.

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