Two large American pharmacy chains, Walgreens and CVS, announced Friday that they would begin selling the abortion pill by prescription in the coming weeks in a handful of states where abortion is still authorized.
This announcement comes at a time when the abortion pill is the subject of an intense legal battle, started by anti-abortion activists.
Until recently, the abortion pill could not be obtained from pharmacies in the United States, but was usually obtained in specific locations, such as abortion clinics.
The two chains, present throughout almost the entire country, have now received the necessary certification for the prescription sale of mifepristone, the first of two pills taken as part of a medical abortion.
CVS announced that it plans to begin sales “in the coming weeks” in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and intends to subsequently extend this possibility to “additional states, where permitted by law.” “.
Walgreens, for its part, announced that it would begin selling this pill “within a week” in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, and Illinois.
The group declined to reveal the number and locations of participating pharmacies, “in the interest of pharmacist and patient safety” — a statement indicative of the climate of tension surrounding this issue.
Walgreens also announced plans to expand the sale of this pill to “all states” where it is “legally” possible.
Abortion — whether surgical or medical — has been banned or severely restricted in around twenty states since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the federal guarantee of the right to abortion in June 2022.
Faced with this assault on the right to abortion, federal authorities have endeavored to use the means at their disposal to strengthen access where possible.
In January 2023, health authorities changed the regulations to allow the sale in pharmacies of mifepristone, access to which has been strictly regulated since its authorization in 2000 by the American Medicines Agency (FDA).
Walgreens and CVS at the time announced plans to obtain the necessary certification from manufacturers Danco and GenBioPro.
Democratic President Joe Biden on Friday welcomed an “important step to ensure access to mifepristone”, which can now be obtained in pharmacies “like any other medicine”.
“The stakes could not be higher for women in America,” he added, denouncing the “fierce attacks” of Republican elected officials on the subject.
The American Supreme Court must examine at the end of the month a currently suspended decision of an ultraconservative appeals court. This, if confirmed, would notably reduce the maximum number of weeks of pregnancy authorized to take the abortion pill, and would prohibit its sending by post.
