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.
Recommended For You
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.
Related: Democratic state Attorneys General send letter to CVS, Walgreens opposing Republicans
Walgreens will not dispense abortion pills by mail or at their retail locations in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and West Virginia. This list includes several states where abortion remains legal.
"In my letter to Walgreens, we made clear that Kansas will not hesitate to enforce the laws against mailing and dispensing abortion pills, including bringing a RICO action to enforce the federal law prohibiting the mailing of abortion pills," Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said. "Evidently, Walgreens understood that my office was serious about this. I'm grateful that Walgreens responded quickly and reasonably and intends to comply with the relevant laws."
While Walgreens is the first pharmacy chain to take action after the threat of legal action, "Rite Aid is monitoring the latest federal, state, legal and regulatory developments regarding mifepristone dispensing," a spokesperson told CNN in a statement.
The Biden administration termed efforts to dissuade pharmacies from distributing abortion pills dangerous and unacceptable. "This is all a part of a continued effort by anti-abortion extremists who want to use this arcane law to impose a backdoor ban on abortion," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Medication abortion, which now accounts for a majority of abortions in the United States, has become a flashpoint in the fallout from the Supreme Court's decision last year overturning Roe v. Wade.
A federal judge in Texas is expected to rule any day on a lawsuit seeking to block the use of medication abortion nationwide.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Alan Goforth
Alan Goforth is a freelance writer in suburban Kansas City. In addition to freelancing for several publications, he has written a dozen books about sports and other topics.
