On this 2018 photo, mifepristone and misoprostol pills are provided at a Carafem clinic for medication abortions in Skokie, Illinois.
Erin Hooley | Tribune News Service | Getty Images
Senate Democrats called on Walmart, Costco, Albertsons and Kroger to sell the prescription abortion pill mifepristone and clearly let customers know how one can get it at their pharmacies.
The businesses haven’t publicly stated yet whether or not they plan to sell mifepristone at their pharmacies. The Food and Drug Administration in January allowed retail drugstores to sell the abortion pill as long as they change into certified under a federal program that monitors how the medication is distributed.
The 17 senators told Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, Costco CEO Craig Jelinek, Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran and Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen that they’re frustrated the businesses haven’t yet publicly indicated whether they’ll sell mifepristone. In letters dated Monday, but released to the general public Tuesday, they asked the CEOs to reply by March 21 on whether or not they plan to get certified with the FDA to dispense the medication.
Strong access
“We urge you to pursue policies that provide the strongest possible access to the complete range of essential health care they need, including mifepristone, and to speak clearly to your customers about how they will access this care,” the senators wrote to the CEOs. The group of lawmakers was led by Sens. Patty Murray of Washington and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.
The abortion pill has change into the central flashpoint within the legal battle over access to abortion within the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision last June to overturn Roe v. Wade. Major retailers within the U.S. have been thrust in the course of the nation’s deep divisions over abortion as they weigh whether to sell mifepristone.
Twelve states have banned abortion and a number of other others have tighter restrictions on mifepristone than federal regulations, making a patchwork legal landscape where those that support and oppose abortion are fighting over whether FDA authority or state law reigns supreme.
Used together with one other drug called misoprostol, mifepristone is probably the most common technique to terminate a pregnancy within the U.S., accounting for about half of all abortions.
Walgreens under fire
Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid said in January that they plan to get certified with the FDA to sell mifepristone in states where it’s legal to achieve this. Republican attorneys general in 21 states warned the Walgreens and CVS in early February to not mail mifepristone of their states.
Walgreens has come under fire after it told the GOP attorneys general that it might not sell mifepristone of their states. The pharmacy’s response sparked controversy because the corporate can also be not selling the medication in states corresponding to Kansas, where abortion is protected under the state structure. A state court blocked a law in November that required patients to take mifepristone in the identical room as a physician.
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The senators accused Walgreens CEO Roz Brewer of yielding to pressure from the attorneys general and accused the corporate of making confusion by not selling mifepristone in some states where abortion stays legal.
“While we’re well aware of threatening letters you received with regard to the distribution of mifepristone in certain states, the response to those pressures was unacceptable and appeared to yield to those threats — ignoring the critical need to make sure patients can get this essential health care wherever possible,” the senators wrote.
The senators also asked CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch and Rite Aid CEO Elizabeth Burr against following Walgreens lead, urging them to “fully assess the laws in each state and ensure your policies provide the strongest possible legal access to this essential health care.”
California cancels contract
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said last week that the state government would now not do business with Walgreens over its stance on mifepristone. The state canceled the renewal of $54 million contract for specialty pharmaceuticals primarily utilized by the state prison system.
Walgreens spokesperson Fraser Engerman said the corporate was deeply disenchanted by Newsom’s decision and plans to sell mifepristone where it’s legal to achieve this, including California.
“Walgreens is facing the identical circumstances as all retail pharmacies, and no other retail pharmacies have said that they might approach this example in another way, so it’s unclear where this contract would now be moved,” Engerman said.