Walgreens won't sell abortion pill by mail in 20 states, including West Virginia

FILE – The Walgreens logo on the front of a store, July 14, 2021, in Cambridge, Mass. A huge opioid settlement dragged Walgreens to a $3.7 billion loss …

FILE – The Walgreens logo on the front of a store, July 14, 2021, in Cambridge, Mass. A huge opioid settlement dragged Walgreens to a $3.7 billion loss in its fiscal first quarter, but the drugstore chain still beat Wall Street forecasts. The company also reaffirmed its earnings forecast for the new year. Walgreens said Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023 that it recorded a $5.2-billion, after-tax charge in the quarter that ended November 30 for opioid-related litigation. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

by: Associated Press, Alexandra Weaver

Posted: Mar 3, 2023 / 08:19 AM EST

Updated: Mar 3, 2023 / 08:19 AM EST

DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Walgreens on Thursday said it won’t sell an abortion pill by mail in 20 conservative-led states.

The statement comes after attorneys general in 20 states last month warned Walgreens and CVS that they could face legal consequences if they sell abortion pills by mail in those states. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrissey was one of the attorneys general who signed.

Walgreens spokesperson Fraser Engerman confirmed that the company sent a response to each of the attorneys general saying that it will not dispense mifepristone in their states.

He also said the company is not currently dispensing mifepristone, although it is working to become eligible through a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated certification process. That process requires pharmacies to meet specific standards in shipping, tracking and confidentially storing drug prescribing records.

He said the company “will dispense only in those jurisdictions where it is legal to do so if we are certified.”

Nineteen U.S. states have imposed restrictions on abortion pills, but those laws are facing legal challenges. A physician and a company that makes the pill mifepristone filed separate lawsuits earlier this year seeking to strike down bans in North Carolina and West Virginia.

The FDA for more than 20 years limited dispensing of the drug to a subset of specialty offices and clinics because of safety concerns. But it eased restrictions since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic by eliminating the in-person requirement for the pill and allowing brick-and-mortar pharmacies to dispense it. At least one lawsuit filed by abortion opponents argues that the FDA has overstepped its authority in approving the mailed abortion drugs.

Walgreens’ action was first reported by Politico.