Current:Home > FinanceWalgreens won't sell abortion pills in red states that threatened legal action-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Walgreens won't sell abortion pills in red states that threatened legal action
View Date:2024-12-23 20:51:26
Walgreens won't distribute abortion pills in states where Republican officials have threatened legal action — including some places where abortion is still legal and available. The pharmacy chain said in a statement to NPR on Friday that it's still taking steps to sell the drug in "jurisdictions where it is legal and operationally feasible."
The confirmation came a month after 20 Republican state attorneys general, mostly from states where abortion is banned or heavily restricted, sent letters threatening Walgreens and other pharmacies with legal action if they dispensed mifepristone, an abortion pill.
The Food and Drug Administration finalized a new rule in January allowing retail pharmacies to get certified to distribute the drug, and companies including Walgreens and CVS said they're applying for certification. Medication abortion — not surgery — is the most common way that people terminate pregnancies, especially in the first trimester, when most abortions occur.
"At this time, we are working through the certification process" and not yet distributing the drug anywhere, Walgreens said in a letter to Kansas' attorney general last month. "Walgreens does not intend to dispense Mifepristone within your state."
The company said in a statement to NPR that it has responded to all of the attorneys general to assure them it won't distribute mifepristone in their states.
Mifepristone — which is also used to ease miscarriages — is still allowed in some of the states where Walgreens won't sell it, including Alaska, Iowa, Kansas and Montana. The situation underscores how challenging it can be to obtain an abortion even in states where it remains legal.
The other pharmacy chains to which Republican attorneys general sent their letters — including CVS, Costco, Walmart, Rite Aid, Albertsons and Kroger — did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment about whether they are considering following suit.
For more than two decades, only specialty offices and clinics could distribute mifepristone. An FDA decision in December 2021 permanently allowed doctors to prescribe mifepristone via telehealth appointments and send the drug through the mail.
An ongoing case before a Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas seeks to challenge the FDA's original approval of mifepristone altogether.
veryGood! (422)
Related
- Inside Dream Kardashian's Sporty 8th Birthday Party
- 'Ketamine Queen,' doctors, director: A look at the 5 charged in Matthew Perry's death
- Federal court strikes down Missouri investment rule targeted at `woke politics’
- Delta says it’s reviewing how man boarded wrong flight. A family says he was following them
- Darren Criss on why playing a robot in 'Maybe Happy Ending' makes him want to cry
- Asteroids safely fly by Earth all the time. Here’s why scientists are watching Apophis.
- Ukraine’s swift push into the Kursk region shocked Russia and exposed its vulnerabilities
- Racing Icon Scott Bloomquist Dead at 60 After Plane Crash
- Repair Hair Damage In Just 90 Seconds With This Hack from WNBA Star Kamilla Cardoso
- Katy Perry to receive Video Vanguard Award and perform live at 2024 MTV VMAs
Ranking
- More than 150 pronghorns hit, killed on Colorado roads as animals sought shelter from snow
- Honolulu mayor vows tougher approach on homelessness
- Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars announce joint single 'Die with a Smile'
- Police arrest 4 in killing of 'General Hospital' actor Johnny Wactor
- Jason Statham Shares Rare Family Photos of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Their Kids on Vacation
- Delta says it’s reviewing how man boarded wrong flight. A family says he was following them
- When is the 'Love Island USA' Season 6 reunion? Date, time, cast, how to watch
- Does Micellar Water Work As Dry Shampoo? I Tried the TikTok Hack and These Are My Results
Recommendation
-
California voters reject proposed ban on forced prison labor in any form
-
Australian Breakdancer Raygun Addresses “Devastating” Criticism After 2024 Olympics
-
How Lubbock artists pushed back after the city ended funding for its popular art walk
-
The Daily Money: Inflation eased in July
-
Mike Tyson has lived a wild life. These 10 big moments have defined his career
-
Alaska State Troopers beat, stunned and used dog in violent arrest of wrong man, charges say
-
Love Island U.K. Tommy Fury Slams “False” Allegations He Cheated on Ex-Fiancée Molly-Mae Hague
-
Jordanian citizen charged for attacking Florida energy plant, threats condemning Israel