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CANCELED: Walgreens loses California’s business after Gov. Newsom intervenes

CANCELED: Walgreens loses California’s business after Gov. Newsom intervenes

CANCELED: Walgreens loses California's business after Gov. Newsom intervenes

Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has had enough.

Tired of the GOP’s attempts to restrict a woman’s reproductive freedom and health, Newson has announced that the State of California will no longer do business with the pharmacy giant Walgreens after the company caved to pressure from Republicans demanding they not sell the abortion drug Mifepristone.

 

FDA-approved, Mifepristone is one of two drugs needed to induce a non-surgical abortion. Combined with misoprostol, both drugs are considered safe to use up to 10 weeks of gestation.

With a prescription from a licensed physician, a woman can purchase the drug directly from a local pharmacy, leaving Republicans scrambling to interfere.

A majority of the country’s abortions are carried out pharmaceutically, and right-wing anti-abortion activists are working double time to block access to the medication.

Because too much is never enough, not only are they seeking to block the sale of Mifepristone in Red states, but they’re moving full steam ahead hoping to see a nationwide ban – even in Blue states where the drug is legal.

On February 1st, twenty Republican Attorney Generals led by AG Andrew Bailey (R-MO) sent a letter to Walgreens in what could only be seen as a warning.

The letter put the company on notice that it runs the risk of running afoul of federal, and in some cases, state laws with strict anti-abortion laws on the books.

Walgreens agreed.

“We intend to be a certified pharmacy and will distribute Mifepristone only in those jurisdictions where it is legal and operationally feasible,” the company said in a statement.

Walgreens’ decision not to carry the drug in those 20 states could potentially threaten to leave nearly half of the country’s women without access to safe and legal pharmaceutical abortion.

With abortion clinics closing around the country, for many who choose not to carry their fetus to term it means an already difficult decision will be even tougher.

The country braced for the Supreme Court’s decision that ultimately overturned over 50 years of constitutionally protected reproductive healthcare rights – but the fallout has turned out to be much worse than many imagined.

Smelling blood in the water, Republicans and Christofascists have mounted a full-scale attack on abortion – with restricting access to birth control also on the agenda.

In November, anti-abortion advocates filed a lawsuit targeting the FDA, seeking to overturn the agency’s approval of Mifepristone.

If they’re successful it will shut down nearly 70 million women of reproductive age’s ability to have a non-surgical abortion virtually overnight, according to CNN.

A federal judge in Texas is expected to rule at any time on another case that seeks to ban abortion pills across the country.

Governor Newsom has been very vocal about his commitment to protecting the reproductive rights of Californians.

In November, voters overwhelmingly passed a measure codifying a women’s right to access abortion and birth control in the state.

Original reporting by CBS 13 Staff at CBS Sacramento and by  and  at CNN.

Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick

Ty Ross
News journalist for Occupy Democrats.

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