California governor boycotts Walgreens over abortion pill

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California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday said the state will no longer do business with Walgreens’ parent company, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. Walgreens said last week that it will not dispense mifepristone, a drug used in chemical abortions, in 20 other states. The attorneys general of 20 Republican-led states had threatened legal action against pharmacies if they sold the drug. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January approved a new rule that allows pharmacies to be certified to distribute the drug, which was previously only available at specialty clinics.

Are there other attempts to prohibit access to these drugs? Four pro-life groups and four doctors filed a case in Texas against the FDA that argues the department did not have the authority to approve mifepristone and misoprostol for chemical abortions. Another case was filed in February by the state of Texas and the Mayo Pharmacy against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that aims to protect pharmacies that refuse to dispense abortion drugs.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins and Leah Savas’ report in WORLD Magazine about abortion pill access.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.