People are calling to #BoycottWalgreens after the pharmacy giant announced(opens in a new tab) it will no longer sell abortion medication mifepristone in 20 Republican states — including some where abortion is still legal.
The move comes after heightened pressure from Republican state attorneys general, who sent a letter to the company(opens in a new tab) in February, threatening legal action if Walgreens continued to distribute the medication. The letter was co-signed by attorneys general from states including Texas, Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, West Virginia, North Dakota, and South Carolina. In some of these states, abortion remains legal, including Alaska(opens in a new tab), Florida(opens in a new tab), Iowa(opens in a new tab), and Montana(opens in a new tab).
In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone, the first of two pills to be taken for a medical abortion, to be distributed at retail pharmacies in states where abortion remains legal.
Referencing the reversal of Roe v Wade, the letter was sent not only to Walgreens but to CVS, Rite Aid, Costco, Walmart, Kroger, and Albertsons. Walgreens caved, telling Politico that it had responded to the signees(opens in a new tab), assuring them that the pharmacy will not dispense the pill by mail or in stores located in these states.
Since Walgreen's decision, people are calling for a boycott of the company.
Both "Walgreens" and "#BoycottWalgreens(opens in a new tab)" trended on Twitter on Friday, continuing to gain traction throughout the weekend. Responses to Politico reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein's tweet(opens in a new tab) also included such calls: "I will not shop at Walgreens until they reverse this decision" and "I will no longer be spending any money at Walgreens."
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Many users called for people to cancel their Walgreens accounts, while some displayed receipts of them doing so. People criticized the pharmacy for giving into fear tactics from anti-abortion politicians.
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Abortion pills accounted for more than half(opens in a new tab) of all U.S. abortions in 2020. This commonly used method of abortion has been deemed safe and effective(opens in a new tab), according to sexual health research organization Guttmacher Institute. Access to abortion pills is currently legal in 37 states, though it must be prescribed by a doctor in 15 states.
Walgreens, alongside its competitor CVS, said it is applying for certification to dispense the abortion pill following the FDA's announcement(opens in a new tab). However, Walgreens' decision to stop distributing the pill in nearly half a dozen states, however, is more than disheartening — and comes amid a nationwide fight to preserve reproductive justice.
