Walgreens won’t dispense abortion pills in some Republican states

Boxes of mifepristone, the first pill given in a medical abortion, are prepared for patients at Women’s Reproductive Clinic of New Mexico in Santa Teresa, U.S., January 13, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. on Thursday said it will not dispense abortion pills in the states of 20 Republican attorneys general who have told the pharmacy chain it risked breaking the law should it dispense them to the states by mail.

The decision comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed retail pharmacies to dispense mifepristone pills, including by mail, provided they are certified under special safety rules for the drug.

A Walgreens spokesperson said the pharmacy’s decision was in response to a letter from the attorneys general. They said Walgreens intended to become a certified pharmacy and would only dispense in jurisdictions where it was legal to do so.

CVS Health Corp, which also received the letter, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

News website Politico first reported Walgreens’ position on Thursday.

Medication abortion, which accounts for more than half of U.S. abortions, has drawn increasing attention since the Supreme Court in June overturned a landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had recognized abortion as a constitutional right nationwide.

Mifepristone, used in combination with another drug, misoprostol, is approved for abortion within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.