NY state requested drugstore chains for plans on abortion pill access

Top New York officials demanded the nation’s major pharmacy chains reveal their plans about making the abortion pill mifepristone available in the state.

In a letter signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James, the Democrats requested Walgreens, CVS Health and Rite Aid to respond in writing within 10 business days about their commitment to dispense mifepristone at pharmacies and via mail in the state, Reuters reported. 

“Pharmacies are the new battleground in the fight for abortion rights,” Gov. Hochul tweeted on Friday. “In New York, your reproductive rights will always be protected.”

The letter, sent Thursday, comes after Walgreens’ said last week it would not distribute abortion pills in some Republican states. The decision was slammed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and filmmaker Michael Moore, with Newsom tweeting on March 6 that California will not be doing business with Walgreens.  

In a follow-up statement on March 6, however, Walgreens said “We want to be very clear about what our position has always been: Walgreens plans to dispense Mifepristone in any jurisdiction where it is legally permissible to do so.”

The company reiterated its policy as it pertains to New York when reached by The Post on Friday,

Rite Aid and CVS Health did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.

Medication abortion, which accounts for more than half of US abortions, has drawn increasing attention since the Supreme Court last year overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had recognized abortion as a constitutional right nationwide.

Last month, 20 Republican state attorneys general wrote to Walgreens threatening legal consequences if Walgreens provides mifepristone to consumers in their pharmacies across the country, Fox News reported. 

New York has taken proactive steps to protect access to in-clinic care, including a $35 million investment to support abortion providers, the state officials said in a statement that accompanied the letter.

With Post wires