Gov. Gavin Newsom says California will cut ties with retail pharmacy Walgreens.
The unexpected announcement came in a 141-character tweet, following news that the American retail pharmacy won’t distribute abortion pills in 20 Republican-led states, including some where abortion remains legal. The reason: Conservative attorneys general threatened legal consequences if sales continue, The Bee reported Monday.
The pill, mifepristone, is at the center of the controversy. We’ll answer the questions: How does it work, why won’t some states allow it and what is Newsom saying?
How does the abortion pill work?
Mifeprex, also known as mifepristone, is one of two drugs used for medical abortion, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The 200 mg pill — available at some retail pharmacies in states where abortion is legal, including California, New York and Oregon — blocks the hormone that enables pregnancy to continue. When used together with another pill called misoprostol, it could end a pregnancy.
The second pill is taken within the next 48 hours, causing the uterus to contract, cramp and bleed. Together, the pills are commonly referred to as the “abortion pill.”
Mifepristone, which is safe when used as directed, was first approved by the FDA roughly 23 years ago. The agency then approved the generic 200 mg tablets in April 2019.
The abortion pill should not be taken to terminate a pregnancy if it’s been more than 70 days since the first day of the last menstrual period, according to the FDA. Here is who else the pill is not medically recommended for:
•Those with a pregnancy outside of the uterus
•Individuals who have problems with glands near the kidneys
•Those being treated with long-term medications
•Those allergic to mifepristone, misoprostol or similar drugs
•Those with bleeding problems or using blood-thinning drugs
•Those with a rare disorder that can affect their liver and other organs
•Those with an IUD (it must be removed before taking the mifepristone)
Why some states won’t sell the abortion pill
Mifepristone is distributed in states where abortion is legal — for the most part.
Several conservative-led states warned of legal consequences if retail pharmacies including Walgreens and CVS sell abortion pills through the mail in those states.
“We emphasize that it is our responsibility as State Attorneys General to uphold the law and protect the health, safety, and well-being of women and unborn children in our states” the Feb. 1 letter read. “Part of that responsibility includes ensuring that companies like yours are fully informed of the law so that harm does not come to our citizens. “
The letter to Walgreens came from Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, and 19 other states signed on, including Florida, Alabama and South Carolina.
The other attorneys general that signed on:
•Alaska
•Arkansas
•Georgia
•Indiana
•Iowa
•Kentucky
•Louisiana
•Mississippi
•Montana
•North Dakota
•Ohio
•Oklahoma
•South Dakota
•Texas
•Utah
•West Virginia
What Newsom is doing about Walgreens ban?
Newsom’s vow that California is “done” with Walgreens has prompted more questions than answers.
Here’s what we know so far:
“California won’t be doing business with @walgreens — or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts women’s lives at risk,” Newsom wrote on Monday on Twitter.
According to previous Bee reporting, Newsom’s spokesman Brandon Richards wrote in a statement that California is reviewing relationships between the pharmacy and the state and refuses to “cave to right-wing bullies” or companies that “put politics above the health” of people who can reproduce.
Walgreens response: “From the outset, we have made our intentions clear to become a certified pharmacy to distribute Mifepristone wherever legally possible to do so.”
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