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Walgreensthe second-largest US drugstore chain, said Friday it will not distribute abortion drugs in 20 states, bowing to pressure from anti-abortion lawmakers and lawsuits targeting the legality of medical abortion.
The company said it will not dispense mifepristone, the first of two drugs in the medical abortion process, in 20 states, after receiving a February 1 letter from the GOP attorneys general in those states.
Retail pharmacies have been caught in the middle of the abortion battles.
Businesses are reluctant to antagonize lawmakers in states where they may face politically motivated retaliation.
Republican leaders have recently focused on lawsuits and state laws against companies ranging from Disney to hedge funds for failing to deliver on their political agendas.
The drugstore chain said in a statement to NPR on Friday that it is taking steps to sell the drug in “jurisdictions where it is legally and operationally feasible.”
Mifepristone, which is also used to relieve miscarriages, is still allowed in some of the states where Walgreens said it won’t sell it, including Alaska, Iowa, Kansas and Montana. The situation underscores how difficult it can be to obtain an abortion even in states where it remains legal.
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