Dems Press Major Pharmacies to Dispense Abortion Drug

More than 50 House Democrats are urging five major pharmacy retailers to commit to dispensing mifepristone, the first of a two-pill cocktail used in medicated abortions, after the Supreme Court's decision last month not to block access to the drug.

On June 13, the Supreme Court unanimously tossed out a lawsuit seeking to roll back access to mifepristone, which along with misoprostol is used to terminate pregnancies. The court, though, did not rule on whether the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acted properly in expanding access to mifepristone.

Medicated abortions accounted for 63% of all abortions in the U.S. in 2023, according to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute.

House Democrats, led by Reps. Dan Goldman of New York and Judy Chu of California, sent a letter to the CEOs of Walgreens, Safeway, Kroger, Costco, and McKesson Corp, the parent company of Health Mart, calling on them to become certified dispensers of mifepristone, The Hill reported Tuesday. Goldman posted a copy of the letter on his X account.

The companies have not publicly commented on the Supreme Court's decision and whether they would make the drug available.

"We are disappointed that you have not publicly pursued certification for the past year," the Democrats wrote. "We strongly urge you to consider policies that facilitate access to essential and time-sensitive reproductive health care services, including medication abortion, which are clear to your consumers and to your pharmacy employees."

The Democrats wrote that in June 2023, they made a similar request regarding on whether they planned to be certified to dispense mifepristone "and support access to medication abortion."

"While we understand the status of pharmacy mifepristone prescribing has been up in the air over the last year, now that the Supreme Court has ruled … and the status of mifepristone availability is unchanged, we urge you to promptly outline the steps you must take to begin the certification process so that your customers can have mifepristone ready available in states where it remains legal."

The lawmakers have requested the companies respond by July 12.

CVS and Walgreens, the two largest pharmacy chains in the country, said they would seek certification to sell mifepristone shortly after the FDA said last year that retail pharmacies would be allowed to offer the pill if they sought authorization from the agency, according to The Hill.