Walgreens faces pressure over religious contractors

Three pro-abortion groups yesterday asked Walgreens to guarantee its partnered, in-store health clinics will disregard their religious convictions when treating patients.

Next week, SSM Health, a Catholic healthcare system based in St. Louis, will open 27 new express health clinics inside Walgreens stores in Missouri and Illinois. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), MergerWatch, and National Health Law Program authored joint letters to Walgreens and SSM to flag the health provider’s religious tenets. SSM adheres to the Ethical and Religious Directives from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which protects the health and wellbeing of the unborn. The protesting groups want a meeting with Walgreens to make sure the new clinics do not create a roadblock for women seeking to terminate their pregnancies.

“Walgreens customers who request services at these clinics or at Walgreens pharmacies are entitled to assurances that the services, information, and referrals they receive will not be restricted by religious doctrine,” the groups wrote.

The SSM express clinics at Walgreens will operate seven days a week, to give patients quick access to general healthcare services from nurse practitioners without an appointment. SSM will own and operate the new clinics, contracting with Walgreens to use its locations.

The pro-abortions groups claim faith-based organizations routinely restrict reproductive healthcare services and often discriminate against patients based on faith, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

SSM spokesman Jason Merrill would not confirm what kind of services SSM will offer at the new clinics and deferred to the company’s official statement: “If a patient requires services that are beyond the scope of what is appropriate for a retail clinic setting, they will be referred to a primary care physician or other providers of their choice who can ensure they receive the care they need. SSM Health is proud to treat every patient with dignity and respect.”

As part of its expansion plan, Walgreens started partnering with outside healthcare systems to run clinics in its stores. The company already has 50 locations in the Chicago area with in-store clinics operated by Advocate Health Care—an affiliate of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ.

Clinics operated by Walgreens provide a wide range of contraceptive services, but the company gives its partners flexibility.

Catholic health institutions do not promote or condone the use of contraceptives. And according to the Ethical and Religious Directives, no Catholic healthcare institutions should provide abortion services, even based on the principle of material cooperation. Institutions need to be wary of the danger of scandal in any association with abortion providers, the directives also warn.

In their letter to Walgreens, the ACLU and others asked if the new SSM clinics will adhere to the directives and how that will apply to contraceptive and abortifacient drugs.

Last year, the ACLU, abortion provider Planned Parenthood, and others expressed similar concerns about a different merger between Walgreens and a faith-based healthcare provider. In December, Catholic hospital Providence Health planned to oversee 25 of Walgreens’ in-store clinics in Washington and Oregon. The ACLU and Planned Parenthood wrote to Walgreens to ask if that created a hardship for women seeking abortions and asked for assurances LGBT patients would receive fair treatment within clinics run by faith-based groups. Despite the opposition, the clinics opened as planned.

The ACLU, MergerWatch, and National Health Law Program did not respond to requests for comment.