California will not renew Walgreens contract over abortion pill move

California will not renew a $54 million agreement with Walgreens more than the drugstore chain’s final decision not to promote the abortion pill mifepristone in some states because of to authorized limits.

“California will not stand by as organizations cave to extremists and lower off crucial accessibility to reproductive care and liberty,” Gov. Gavin Newsom explained in a statement Wednesday. “California is on observe to be the fourth biggest financial system in the environment and we will leverage our market place ability to defend the right to decide on.”

Newsom explained Monday that the point out was “done” doing business enterprise with Walgreens. California utilised the deal to acquire specialty prescription medication for the jail program. The state is reviewing all its small business contracts with Walgreens.

Walgreens, in a assertion Thursday, stated it is “deeply unhappy” by California’s final decision, which the organization blamed on “untrue and misleading data.”

“Walgreens is struggling with the same situation as all retail pharmacies, and no other retail pharmacies have said that they would strategy this circumstance differently, so it can be unclear in which this agreement would now be moved,” mentioned Fraser Engerman, a corporation spokesperson.

“Our situation has generally been that, at the time we are accredited by the Food and drug administration, Walgreens designs to dispense Mifepristone in any jurisdiction where by it is legally permissible to do so, which includes the state of California,” Engerman explained.

Republican lawyers basic in 21 states warned Walgreens in February that marketing or distributing the abortion pill in their states would violate community rules.

The drugstore chain told them it would not provide or mail mifepristone in their states.

The Foods and Drug Administration in January authorized retail pharmacies these types of as Walgreens to market mifepristone so prolonged as they come to be accredited underneath an company application that displays how the tablet is employed and distributed. Walgreens and CVS have mentioned they strategy to turn out to be certified under that software.

At least 12 states have banned abortion due to the fact the Supreme Courtroom overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Quite a few other states have tighter constraints on mifepristone than the Food and drug administration does.

Walgreens is also not selling the abortion pill in states these types of as Alaska, Kansas and Montana the place abortion is secured as a ideal below the states’ constitutions.

Alaska involves clients to get the tablet from a health practitioner. In Kansas, the condition had demanded sufferers to attain the abortion capsule in particular person from a medical professional, but a point out court docket blocked that regulation in November. Montana’s requirement that patients pay a visit to a physician to get mifepristone is also quickly blocked by a court docket.

The drugstore chain will also not offer mifepristone in Iowa, the place the condition Supreme Courtroom final 12 months overturned condition constitutional protections for abortion.

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