Walgreens Seeks Certification To Sell Abortion Pill & Will Not Distribute It In Select States
Customers tweeted calling to "boycott Walgreens."
A Walgreens aisle. Right: Walgreens.
The FDA approved the distribution of the abortion pill, Mifepristone, to be sold at certified pharmacies back in January. Walgreens is one pharmacy that is moving forward with the certification process, if approved they are only selling it in select states.*
Officials from a handful of states recently signed a letter that the sale of the drug violates federal law and their state law.
Missouri's Attorney General Andrew Bailey spearheaded that letter, which was released on February 1.
"These state laws reflect not only our commitment to protecting the lives and dignity of children but also of women," it reads.
His correspondence was signed by the Attorney General in Florida, Texas, Georgia, Utah, Alabama, Missouri, Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia.
Senior Manager of Walgreens Media Relations, Marty Maloney, sent Narcity the following statement:
"I can confirm we have responded to the state Attorneys General's letter to Walgreens dated February 1 by indicating we will not dispense Mifepristone in their respective states. We are not distributing Mifepristone at this time. We intend to be a certified pharmacy and will distribute Mifepristone only in those jurisdictions where it is legal and operationally feasible."
What this means is that once the pharmacy is certified, they will only distribute the drug in states where it is legal and the ones that weren't involved in the correspondence.
Separately, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach chimed in five days after the group initiative. He wrote to Walgreens that selling Mifepristone at Kansas Walgreens violates their state law filed on November 23, 2022, according to The Topeka-Capital Journal.
The pharmacy won't dispense the pill in Kansas, either.
Now, consumers of the convenience store chain are clapping back on social media with the hashtag "#boycottWalgreens."
"It will be my pleasure to boycott Walgreens. They overcharge for their prescriptions in disadvantaged neighborhoods. This just shows how predatory they are," one woman tweeted.
Some users are even publishing to urge others to switch their pharmacies.
\u201cMy family gets over $1000 worth of RX filled by Walgreens every month, not to mention in store purchases and photo prints. We are switching to another pharmacy today because Walgreens hates women's rights and has become the new Hobby Lobby. #BoycottWalgreens\u201d— Thinking Allowed (@Thinking Allowed) 1677858172
A verified account inquired about not selling viagra instead:
"Hey, @Walgreens - when are you going to refuse to distribute Viagra? #BoycottWalgreens."
\u201cHey, @Walgreens - when are you going to refuse to distribute Viagra? #BoycottWalgreens\u201d— Amee Vanderpool (@Amee Vanderpool) 1677853829
Maloney told Narcity that they haven't decided to stop selling Mifepristone in the U.S. but reiterated that they "will distribute Mifepristone only in those jurisdictions where it is legal and operationally feasible."
They are on track to getting registered to allow the drug to be sold in certain stores.
*UPDATE: The original version of this article stated that Walgreens will not sell Mifepristone in the U.S. It has been updated to reflect that the company is seeking certification and will only distribute it in states where it is legal and operationally feasible.