After pharma giant Walgreens confirmed on Thursday, 2 March, that it would not dispense abortion pills in several states in the United States where they remain legal, netizens took to Twitter to condemn the move.
Walgreens' decision comes after over 20 Republican state attorney generals wrote to the company in February, threatening legal action if it continued to distribute abortion pills, reported Politico.
Abortion pills have become the most popular method for terminating a pregnancy in the US, which saw the Supreme Court overturning of the Roe vs Wade ruling – i.e, the right to procure an abortion – in June 2022.
No Sale Even in States Where It's Legal
Walgreens will not sell pills in states where abortion as well as pills remain legal. They include Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, and Montana.
The pharma company said it was currently not distributing abortion pills anywhere in the country, but would obtain permits to do so in some states, reported Politico.
In January this year, the Joe Biden administration moved to permit retailers to dispense abortion pills, in a bid to expand access to abortion, as more states passed resolutions to ban the procedure.
Woman Held Last Month for Using Abortion Pills in 2021
In yet another example of stifling of abortion rights in the US, a woman in South Carolina was arrested in February this year for using abortion pills in 2021. She was released on bail soon after.
The woman, who was reported by staff at a hospital in South Carolina in October 2021, delivered a stillborn foetus after 25 weeks of pregnancy. The staff claimed that the woman admitted to having taken pills to terminate her pregnancy.
Though the incident took place in 2021, before Roe vs Wade was overturned, an arrest warrant was issued in 2022, and she was arrested last month, according to The Guardian.
South Carolina is one of the three states in the US, alongside Nevada and Oklahoma, which criminalises self-managed abortion.
'Won't Shop at Walgreens'
As the news of the pill ban broke out, many in the US took to Twitter to boycott Walgreens – with some even cancelling their Walgreens account and encouraging others to do so.
"#BoycottWalgreens I will NEVER step into another #Walgreens as long as I live. Life’s too short to support companies that hate women. #WalgreensHatesWomen," one user wrote.
Another user said, "Hey @Walgreens ~Just wanted to let you know that I will no longer shop at your stores. I am thoroughly disgusted by your position on the abortion pill and will take my business elsewhere. #BoycottWalgreens #AbortionRights."
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)