Governor Says California Will Cease Business With Walgreens After Chain Pulls Abortion Pills in 20 States

After Walgreens announced on Friday that it will not distribute abortion medication at its locations in 20 states, California governor Gavin Newsom says the state won’t do business with the company.

“California won’t be doing business with Walgreens—or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts women’s lives at risk,” Newsom tweeted on Monday. “We’re done.”

It’s not immediately clear how this will impact Walgreens, or if any other Democratic-run states plan to follow in Newsom’s footsteps.

As CNN reported on Friday, Walgreens announced that it would not dispense mifepristone, one of the two drugs used in medicated abortion, in Republican-led 20 states. “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. Republican attorneys in the 20 states, including ones where mifepristone is still legal, have warned pharmacies against distributing the pill.

At least 19 states across the country have placed restrictions on the pill, and there are currently several legal battles over whether the power to outlaw them is legitimate when considering the FDA’s policy. Restrictions on the dispensing of the drug were eased at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it was originally only dispensed via in-person treatments. 

Last month, 12 Democrat-led states filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration over the restricted distribution of mifepristone. The suit represents the states of Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont.