Wal-Mart Caves In to Pressure From Planned Parenthood on Plan B Drug 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 6, 2007
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Just over a year ago, Wal-Mart bowed to pressure from pro-abortion groups and decided it will carry the morning after pill at its 3,700 pharmacies nationwide. After more lobbying from Planned Parenthood, the retailer revised its nationwide corporate policy on the morning after pill.
The new Wal-Mart policy ensures customers "will now receive their prescriptions or OTC products in store without discrimination (no harassment or lectures)."
Wal-Mart has pledged to stock the morning after pill in every store where at least one person requests the drug and to assist customers in obtaining the drug if it is not available at a particular location.
The world’s largest retail company responded yesterday to a survey the nation’s largest abortion business sent it.
In an email to its supporters obtained by LifeNews.com, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards applauded the news.
She said it was a victory for its membership, which has been scouring the country in an attempt to gather damning evidence against pharmacies that don’t make the morning after pill easily available.
"Armed with evidence gathered by these members, Planned Parenthood approached Wal-Mart asking it to clarify its policies on this crucial issue," she said.
"We’ve just received word that Wal-Mart has now committed in writing to a nationwide corporate policy on emergency contraception," she explained. "Under that policy, Wal-Mart will stock EC and dispense it without discrimination and without delay.
"Of course, we have to remain vigilant to make sure Wal-Mart puts this policy into practice," Richards added.
She said that Wal-Mart joins CVS, Eckerd’s, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Kmart, which have all agreed to pave the way for easy access to the Plan B drug, which the FDA allowed pharmacies to sell over the counter to anyone over the age of 18.
Wal-Mart’s decision last year to begin selling the drug followed a lawsuit in Massachusetts requiring the company to carry the drug there and an executive order by Illinois Gov Rod Blagojevich forcing pharmacists to dispense the drugs in that state.
"We expect more states to require us to sell emergency contraceptives in the months ahead," Ron Chomiuk, vice president of Pharmacy for Wal-Mart, said in a statement.
"Because of this, and the fact that this is an FDA-approved product, we feel it is difficult to justify being the country’s only major pharmacy chain not selling it," he added.
Chomiuk said at the time that the company would continue to allow pharmacists who object to filling scripts for the drugs to refer customers to other pharmacies.
TAKE ACTION: Send your comments to Wal-Mart about its decision to carry the morning after pill. Contact the company by going here.
