Walgreens may be regretting ever wading into the abortion issue.
The pharmacy chain now is facing boycotts from both pro-life and pro-abortion activists over its decision to begin selling abortion drugs.
In January, pro-life advocates began boycotting Walgreens, CVS and, later, RiteAid after they announced plans to begin selling abortion drugs that are used to kill unborn babies up to about 10 weeks of pregnancy.
Their decisions came after the Biden administration dropped safety regulations for the dangerous abortion drug mifepristone, which has been linked to the deaths of millions of babies and dozens of women. Previously, mifepristone only could be dispensed by FDA-approved abortion facilities, medical offices and hospitals under the direct supervision of a licensed physician.
Then, this week, abortion activists launched their own boycott after Walgreens said it will not sell abortion drugs in 20 states where laws protect unborn babies from abortion. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, leftist documentarian Michael Moore and others slammed the company for supposedly caving to “extremists,” but really Walgreens just agreed to follow state laws.
The pro-abortion hubbub has caused confusion about the company’s abortion plans, but, in states where killing unborn babies is legal, Walgreens still is preparing to sell abortion drugs. The company confirmed this to Bloomberg News on Monday, saying its pharmacies will sell abortion drugs in most states as soon as it is certified to do so by the Food and Drug Administration.
“Once we are certified by FDA, we will dispense this medication consistent with federal and state laws,” the company said in a statement.
ACTION ALERT: Contact Walgreens and CVS and let them know you will boycott their stores until they stop selling the abortion pill.
The drug mifepristone, typically used with a second drug, misoprostol, now is used for more than half of all abortions in the U.S. every year, or nearly half a million unborn babies, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Because of the Biden administration, the abortion drugs soon will be even more easily accessible at pharmacies like Walgreens, CVS and RiteAid, and more unborn babies’ and mothers’ lives will be at risk.
Pro-life organizations are urging Americans to boycott the pharmacy chains. Students for Life, 40 Days for Life, Live Action, the Pro-Life Action League and others also have organized protests.
The FDA has linked mifepristone to at least 28 women’s deaths and 4,000 serious complications between 2000 and 2018. However, under President Barack Obama, the FDA stopped requiring that non-fatal complications from mifepristone be reported. So the numbers almost certainly are much higher.
Studies indicate the risks are more common than what abortion activists often claim, with as many as one in 17 women requiring hospital treatment.
In letters to the pharmacy companies earlier this year, 20 Republican state attorneys general warned about these and other dangers, and threatened legal action if the companies violate their state laws.
“Abortion pills impose far higher risks of complications compared to surgical abortions. In addition, abortion pills, especially when distributed by mail, make coerced abortions much easier,” they said.
They pointed the companies to state laws that prohibit or regulate abortion drugs as well as a federal law that bans mailing abortion drugs.
Right now, a federal judge is considering a lawsuit from four medical groups that challenges the FDA approval of mifepristone as an abortion drug. The medical organizations accused the agency of ignoring evidence of safety problems and failing to properly study the risks.
ACTION ALERT: Contact Walgreens and CVS and let them know you will boycott their stores until they stop selling the abortion pill.
