Walgreens confirmed Thursday that it will not dispense abortion pills in several states where they remain legal — due to legal threats from state officials and pressure from anti-abortion activists. Yes, the party of small government is at it again! Via Politico:
Nearly two dozen Republican state attorneys general wrote to Walgreens in February, threatening legal action if the company began distributing the drugs, which have become the nation’s most popular method for ending a pregnancy.
The company told POLITICO that it has since responded to all the officials, assuring them that they will not dispense abortion pills either by mail or at their brick-and-mortar locations in those states.
The list includes several states where abortion in general, and the medications specifically, remain legal — including Alaska, Iowa, Kansas and Montana. For example, Kansas’ law that patients only obtain the pills directly from a physician is blocked in court.
“There is currently complexity around this issue in Kansas and elsewhere,” said Fraser Engerman, Walgreens’ senior director of external relations.
They're also threatening CVS, RiteAid, Albertsons, Costco, Walmart and Kroger if they dispense the medication. Expect a national boycott of any chain that cuts off access.