“This is an attempt to ask the question, ‘Which side are you on?’ Who are you on?” Newsom said in an interview with POLITICO ahead of the announcement. “Are you going to just flinch in front of the bully?
With this decision, Walgreens no longer provides drugs to inmates in California’s sprawling correctional system. The planned contract renewal was scheduled to go into effect on May 1.
Newsom said this is just the first step in a “thorough review” of all the state’s relationship with Walgreens, some of which may need to be completed in cooperation with the state legislature.
Walgreens says it will not offer mifepristone in 21 states where Republican attorneys general have threatened lawsuits against pharmacies that offer it. All of these states either ban abortion, have proposed laws banning its distribution, or are pending in court.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said it was too early for Walgreens to announce a policy, even though the legal basis is unclear in some states. We should wait until then and not withdraw this important life-saving drug from millions of people,” he said in a recent interview.
Walgreens, who said in a statement Wednesday that he was disappointed by Newsom’s actions, said the abortion drug Mifepristone is legal, even in some states where officials have threatened lawsuits. He has faced criticism for saying he will not dispense Fepristone.
“Our position has always been to dispense mifepristone in any legally permitted jurisdiction, including California, upon FDA clearance,” the company said.
Walgreens says it has been unfairly elected by the state of California, and other major pharmacy chains have yet to reveal how they will respond to threats from Republican state attorneys general about dispensing abortion pills. not
“Walgreens faces the same situation as all retail pharmacies and has not said other retail pharmacies will approach the situation differently, so it is unclear where this deal will move,” the company said. rice field.
CVS, Albertsons, Rite Aid, Costco, Walmart and Kroger did not respond to POLITICO’s requests for comment.
Newsom said Walgreens broke the contract after failing to provide a clear answer on its policy.
“They were unwilling or unable to do more than repeat statements that only reinforce their ambiguity,” Newsom said. We are.”
Newsom’s move also shows his willingness to wield California’s fiscal power in the escalating national battle over access to abortion. enacted new laws to make California a sanctuary for abortion seekers from other states.
“Ironically, we’re the combined population size of 21 states,” said Newsom, referring to the 21 states where Walgreens has told Republican state officials it has no plans to dispense the pill. . “And perhaps when the turmoil settles down, we will be the fourth largest economy in the world. So we believe we have moral authority, but we also have formal authority, We will work with Congress to enforce it through executive action where it does not exist.”
States are at the forefront of the abortion policy battle after the U.S. Supreme Court ended federal rights to abortion proceedings. California responded by aggressively expanding access to abortion, while Republican states have severely restricted it.
The Florida legislature this week introduced a bill to ban abortion after six weeks. California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta told Floridians who protested against the “vile” bill “it will be welcomed in California,” as national Democrats condemned the proposal.
