Walgreens on Friday mentioned it won’t distribute abortion treatment in 20 states, bowing to strain from anti-abortion lawmakers and lawsuits concentrating on the legality of treatment abortion. Missouri is certainly one of these states.
The corporate mentioned it won’t dispense mifepristone, the primary of two medication within the treatment abortion course of, in 20 states following a Feb. 1 letter from GOP attorneys normal in these states.
Retail pharmacies have been caught in the course of abortion battles. Firms are loath to antagonize lawmakers in states the place they might face politically motivated reprisals. GOP leaders have just lately focused companies starting from Disney to funding funds.
“We intend to be a licensed pharmacy and can distribute Mifepristone solely in these jurisdictions the place it’s authorized and operationally possible,” the corporate mentioned in an announcement.
The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration had beforehand mentioned that pharmacies that turn out to be licensed to dispense mifepristone can achieve this on to somebody who has a prescription from a licensed prescriber.
A spokesperson for Ceremony Support mentioned the pharmacy chain is monitoring developments.
“Ceremony Support is monitoring the most recent federal, state, authorized and regulatory developments relating to mifepristone dishing out and we are going to proceed to judge the Firm’s capacity to dispense mifepristone in accordance with these developments,” spokesperson Catherine Carter instructed CNN in an announcement.
Treatment abortion, which now accounts for a majority abortions obtained in the USA, has turn out to be a flashpoint within the fallout from the Supreme Court docket’s determination final 12 months overturning Roe v. Wade.
A federal choose in Texas is anticipated to rule any day on a lawsuit searching for to dam the usage of treatment abortion nationwide, within the largest abortion-related case for the reason that Supreme Court docket overturned Roe.
The lawsuit, filed in November by anti-abortion advocates in opposition to the FDA, targets the company’s two-decade-old approval of mifepristone.
Abortion rights advocates have sounded the alarm on the case, stressing {that a} ruling in favor of the plaintiffs would have an effect on each nook of the nation for the reason that lawsuit is concentrating on a federal company.
“If FDA approval of mifepristone is revoked, 64.5 million girls of reproductive age within the US would lose entry to treatment abortion care, an exponential enhance in hurt in a single day,” NARAL mentioned in an announcement in February, pointing to inner analysis.
CNN has additionally reached out to CVS, Kroger and Walmart about their future plans for distributing mifepristone. The retailers didn’t instantly reply to the requests for remark.