Cowardice has a price, and Walgreens is feeling it.
Mifepristone is FDA-approved and legal across the nation, and the Department of Justice even put out a memo that said, “States may not ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA’s expert judgment about its safety and efficacy.”
Nonetheless, Walgreens decided to put the health and safety of patients they serve at risk and not sell this legal medication in red states—all because they are getting ridiculous, threatening letters from right-wing attorneys general in these states. The AGs are claiming the Comstock Act of 1873 outlaws sending through the mail “any obscene items,” which, in their minds, includes anything to do with abortion or birth control. You can read their letters here, via Michael Moore’s website. He is calling for a nationwide boycott of Walgreens, and I urge you to consider that as well.
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty damned sick and tired of having our rights taken away and our freedoms being dictated to by a couple of backwards rubes who clearly never finished a science class. California is the fourth largest economy in the world, and it’s past time they put their muscle into standing up to bullies.
And this time, boy did they!
Walgreens did this now, to be clear, because previously, it has only been right-wing governors, like Florida’s Ron DeSantis, who take this kind of bold action against companies who piss them off. The difference is that DeSantis goes after companies who dare to “say gay” or teach Black history, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom is protecting the health and well-being of millions of his constituents. I’m just wondering why New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and other blue-state leaders haven’t joined him yet.
Reading the AGs’ letters is infuriating. Why the hell did North Dakota even bother signing? Walgreens has just one store in the entire state; Alaska has 11. California, meanwhile, has 586 stores, and not to mention, also has a $4 trillion economy from which Walgreens is now cut off. Will the drugstore make that up in Alabama and Iowa?
Oh, and that’s peanuts compared to the tens of millions of women and others who can pregnant—including girls and trans men—in this nation who the chain just royally pissed off.
Need more proof?
The GOP, predictably, is furious about Newsom’s move. They are calling it “cancel culture.” I agree. If you want to cancel reproductive rights, I am happy to cancel your business. Suck it.
As for Walgreens, this was your decision to turn your back on women. Good luck making up this massive shortfall in Wyoming. In the meantime, I just called and moved all my prescriptions to CVS.
Have a nice day!
PS, if you want to let Walgreens know why you won’t be patronizing them anymore, allow me to help you do that:
Already, Walgreens is feeling the heat. The chain posted a graphic on social media late Monday night that claims stores will dispense the mifepristone “consistent with federal and state laws” once “we are certified by the FDA,” referencing that organization’s January modification to distribution of the drug—but not the red states’ angry letters.
