Walgreens will not dispense abortion pills in 20 states that threatened legal action

Walgreens announced late last week that it will not dispense mifepristone, the first of two drugs in the medication abortion process, in nearly two dozen states in which legal action likely would result, and now calls to boycott the chain are growing on social media.On February 1, Republican attorneys general in those states had stated their intentions in letters to several pharmacy chains, which also included CVS, Albertsons, Rite Aid, Costco, Walmart and Kroger, last month.

The Biden administration in January said it would allow retail pharmacies to dispense the pills. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration previously had said that pharmacies that become certified to dispense mifepristone can do so directly to someone who has a prescription from a certified prescriber.

Walgreens is not yet distributing abortion pills in any part of the country but is working to obtain certification to do so in certain states. “We intend to be a certified pharmacy and will distribute mifepristone only in those jurisdictions where it is legal and operationally feasible,” the company said in a statement.