CVS and Walgreens may be held liable for abortion pills, GOP attorneys general say
Abigail Adcox
Twenty Republican attorneys general are sending a message to CVS and Walgreens, saying the companies could be found liable if they proceed to use the mail to ship abortion medication after a recent Food and Drug Administration’s rule change that expanded access to the drugs.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is leading the coalition of attorneys general, warned that his office intends to use “every tool at our disposal to uphold the law” if the pharmaceutical giants violate state laws that prohibit using the mail to send or receive mifepristone, which is used with misoprostol to induce abortions.
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“It is our responsibility as State Attorneys General to uphold the law and protect the health, safety, and well-being of women and unborn children in our states. Part of that responsibility includes ensuring that companies like yours are fully informed of the law so that harm does not come to our citizens,” the attorneys general wrote in letters penned to CVS and Walgreens.
The attorneys general of Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and other states have signed on to the effort, suggesting that shipping abortion medication would increase “coerced abortions.” A number of states have laws in place restricting abortions, including abortion medication.
CVS and Walgreens did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment about the letter.
Earlier this month, the FDA announced retail pharmacies that become certified could offer abortion medication to patients who have received a prescription from a qualified health provider. Previously, abortion medication had to be prescribed and dispensed by clinics, medical offices, hospitals, or under the supervision of a certified health provider.
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CVS and Walgreens have both stated they intend to go through the certification process to offer abortion medication in states where it is legal.
A Walgreens spokesperson told the Washington Examiner earlier this month that “we are working through the registration, necessary training of our pharmacists, as well as evaluating our pharmacy network in terms of where we normally dispense products that have extra FDA requirements and will dispense these consistent with federal and state laws.”