‘COMPLEXITY’

Walgreens Won’t Distribute Abortion Pills in Some States Where It Is Legal

Last month, 20 Republican state attorneys general threatened Walgreens with legal action over the company’s plans to distribute the drug.

Walgreens has nixed plans to dispense abortion pills in a handful of states where medication abortion remains legal amid threats from Republican state officials and pressure from anti-abortion activists, the pharmacy giant confirmed to Politico on Thursday. Last month, 20 Republican state attorneys general warned Walgreens that its plans to mail the pills to patients could violate federal and state law. The list of aggrieved officials included those from several states, including Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, and Montana, where abortion is still legal. But the company told Politico that it had responded to all the attorneys general to say they would not distribute the pills—either by mail or at their stores. A Walgreens executive explained away the issue to the outlet by saying, “There is currently complexity around this issue in Kansas and elsewhere.” The company has said it is still working to obtain certification to distribute the pills in other states, but declined to say which to Politico.