CVS and Walgreens on Friday announced plans to begin dispensing a pill that’s commonly used to induce abortion and that’s been at the center of legal controversy since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
The abortion pill, called mifepristone, will be available at CVS and Walgreens locations in a “handful of states” starting later this month, according to The New York Times.
Abortion medication at pharmacies
The Food and Drug Administration granted pharmacy chains the ability to supply mifepristone last year, but CVS, Walgreens and other companies have proceeded cautiously, in part because of legal concerns and expected backlash.
“Both chains have had protests outside their stores, mostly from anti-abortion advocates,” The New York Times reported.
Now, CVS and Walgreens will begin selling the drug, but only in states in which abortion is legal.
“The chains will be monitoring the prospects in a few states, including Kansas, Montana and Wyoming, where abortion bans or strict limitations have been enacted but are enjoined because of legal challenges,” per The New York Times.
What is mifepristone?
Mifepristone is used in conjunction with a second pill, misoprostol, to induce abortion. It’s currently offered to women seeking to end an unwanted pregnancy, as well as to women in the early stages of a miscarriage.
Abortion involving the two pills, which are commonly called medication abortions, “account for more than half of all abortions in the United States,” according to The Associated Press.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago, abortion opponents have worked to limit access to medication abortion, by, for example, challenging the FDA’s initial approval of mifepristone, which came in 2000, and challenging the policies that allow it to be delivered to patients through the mail.
The Supreme Court will hear a pair of lawsuits regarding access to mifepristone later this month, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Access to abortion pills
If the Supreme Court limits access to abortion pills by, for example, ruling that mifepristone can’t be sent to patients through the mail, CVS and Walgreens could become a primary provider of the pills.
As it stands, there may not be much demand for the pills at pharmacies, according to The New York Times.
“In the states where the chains will begin dispensing, abortion pills are already available in clinics or easily prescribed through telemedicine and sent through the mail,” the article said.
The Supreme Court’s decision on mifepristone is expected by the end of June.