On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) criticized Walgreens for deciding to discontinue providing abortion medication in 20 states and declared that his state will no longer do business with the pharmacy chain.
California will not do business with Walgreens or any other organization that appeals to extremists and jeopardizes the lives of women. On Monday, Newsom tweeted, “We’re over.
Attorneys general in those states informed Walgreens and CVS that distributing the medication could result in legal repercussions, forcing Walgreens to make the announcement this week that it would stop selling abortion pills by mail in 20 of those states. These states prohibit abortion in various ways, including Iowa, Alaska, Arkansas, Alabama, South Dakota, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas.
“California is investigating all of its connections with Walgreens. We won’t do business with organizations that give in to right-wing bullies supporting their extreme agenda or organizations that prioritize politics over the wellbeing of women and girls, a Newsom official told The Hill through an email.
The White House also expressed disapproval of Walgreens’s action on Friday, as initially reported by Politico. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called it “destructive and unacceptable” for Republicans to target pharmacists for selling the medications.
By enabling U.S. commercial pharmacies to give the abortion pill straight to patients with a prescription rather than requiring that the tablet be administered, the Food and Drug Administration increased access to it in January.
