(CNN) California will stop all its enterprise with Walgreens, the retail drugstore chain, Gov. Gavin Newsom stated on Monday, days after the company announced it could not dispense abortion remedy in 21 Republican-dominated states.
“California will not be doing enterprise with @walgreens — or any firm that cowers to the extremists and places ladies’s lives in danger,” the Democratic governor tweeted. “We’re achieved.”
Newsom’s pushback got here at an already fraught time for the way forward for remedy abortion, which is utilized in greater than half of all procedures nationwide, as a Texas decide weighs issuing a ban on Mifepristone, the primary capsule in a two-drug abortion routine. Walgreens had responded to authorized stress from Republican attorneys normal in 21 states — together with a handful the place abortion stays authorized — in deciding to partially halt its efforts to promote the drug.
“We intend to be a licensed pharmacy and can distribute Mifepristone solely in these jurisdictions the place it’s authorized and operationally possible,” the corporate stated final week in an announcement.
Walgreens declined to touch upon Newsom’s tweet.
The conflict between Newsom and Walgreens, an enormous chain with 1000’s of shops across the nation, marks the most recent spherical of fallout following the Supreme Court docket’s determination to overturn Roe v. Wade. The ruling, handed down in June of last year, shook up nationwide politics forward of the 2022 midterms — with many Democrats crediting the backlash for serving to their candidates in powerful, swing state and seat races — and sophisticated relationships between political and enterprise leaders.
The state is at the moment “reviewing all relationships between Walgreens and the state,” stated Newsom spokesman Brandon Richards. He additionally accused the corporate of giving in to “proper wing bullies.”
Newsom’s workplace introduced Wednesday that California could be “pulling again” a renewal of a $54 million contract with Walgreens that may have taken impact Might 1, 2023.
California’s Division of Normal Providers holds a contract with the retailer “to acquire specialty pharmacy prescribed drugs,” largely utilized by the state’s Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation and its correctional well being care system, Newsom’s workplace stated in a news release.
The state will discover different choices “for furnishing the identical providers,” his workplace stated.
Walgreens senior director for exterior relations Fraser Engerman stated in an announcement Wednesday that the corporate was “deeply upset” with the announcement and stated that the choice to not renew was made off of “false and deceptive data.”
Late final week, Democratic California state Lawyer Normal Rob Bonta issued an announcement slamming Walgreens for bowing to political stress from GOP officers.
“Remedy abortion is secure, efficient, and serves as a lifeline for folks in want of crucial care, particularly these from weak and underserved communities,” Bonta stated on Friday. “I’m upset that Walgreens has determined to offer in to political stress from anti-abortion states, and lower off entry to those crucial and lifesaving medicines.”
The corporate on Wednesday sought to make clear its place, although their newest assertion solely added to the confusion.
“Our place has all the time been that, as soon as we’re licensed by the FDA, Walgreens plans to dispense Mifepristone in any jurisdiction the place it’s legally permissible to take action,” Engerman stated. Remedy abortion is authorized and accessible in states like Kansas and Iowa, amongst others, regardless of opposition from high Republicans, who’ve threatened authorized motion.
In a letter addressed to Kansas Lawyer Normal Kris Kobach, an anti-abortion Republican, from final month, Walgreens stated it “doesn’t intend to dispense Mifepristone inside your state and doesn’t intend to ship Mifepristone into your state from any of our pharmacies.”
Abortion stays protected beneath Kansas state regulation. Final summer season, the state voted overwhelmingly to dam efforts by lawmakers to ban the process following the Supreme Court docket’s determination to overturn Roe v. Wade lower than two months earlier.
The US Meals and Drug Administration stated in early January that pharmacies licensed to dispense Mifepristone can achieve this on to somebody who has a prescription from a prescriber.
This story has been up to date with further data.
CNN’s Taylor Romine and Jack Forrest contributed to this report.
