Why are people boycotting Walgreens? Abortion pill controversy explained

Pharmacy giant Walgreens has landed in the middle of a controversy after announcing it will no longer sell the abortion medication mifepristone in 20 Republican states, including the ones where abortion is still considered legal.

Politico reported that the move comes after 20 Republican attorney generals wrote a letter to the company and other pharmacies like CVS, Walmart, and Costco last month threatening that legal action will be taken if the companies continue to distribute abortion pills.

The letter was reportedly co-signed by attorneys general from states including Texas, Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, West Virginia, North Dakota, and South Carolina despite abortion remaining legal in Alaska, Florida, Iowa, and Montana.

A spokesman for the pharmacy chain told Politico that the company has responded to each attorney general who signed the letter and decided that it will neither dispense mifepristone in pharmacies nor mail it to those states.

However, the company is yet to publicly confirm the states where the medication may still be available.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved mifepristone in January and allowed it to be distributed at pharmacies in states where abortion is still considered legal after the Roe vs. Wade ruling.

The FDA also announced that retail pharmacies can distribute the pills to those with a prescription, contrary to the previous rule where the medication was only accessible through doctors or mail-order.

At the time, Walgreens reportedly told Insider that it was taking the necessary steps to become FDA-certified for selling abortion pills in the states where they are legal.

On Friday, a spokesperson for the company told the publication that the pharmacy giant still intends to become an FDA-certified seller of the pills and will distribute the pills “only in those jurisdictions where it is legal and operationally feasible.”

Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state will not do business with the pharmacy chain due to its decision not to sell abortion medication in certain states. The politician took to Twitter to share:

“California won't be doing business with @/Walgreens or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts women's lives at risk. We're done.”

A spokesperson from Newsom’s office did not provide any additional details about the governor’s decision but issued an official statement about the situation to The Hill:

“California is reviewing all relationships between Walgreens and the state. We will not pursue business with companies that cave to right wing bullies pushing their extremist agenda or companies that put politics above the health of women and girls.”

Amid the ongoing controversy, several people have also called for boycotting the pharmacy chain.

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Netizens calls to boycott Walgreens in the wake of abortion medication controversy

Netizens trended #BoycottWalgreens in the wake of aboriton medication controversy (Image via Getty Images)

U.S. pharmacy giant Walgreens recently came under fire after announcing that it will no longer sell abortion medication mifepristone in nearly 20 GOP states, including states where abortion is considered legal.

In the wake of the announcement, people took to social media to trend hashtags asking others to boycott the company. They went on to claim that the pharmacy chain hates women.

Netizens called out the company over its decision and said they would never buy or order medicines from them again:

As outrage continues to pour in online, it remains to be seen if the pharmacy giant will respond to the ongoing backlash and provide more details about its decision.