California will not do business with Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA.O), state Governor Gavin Newsom said in a tweet on Monday, just days after the pharmacy chain said it would not dispense abortion pills in some Republican-dominated states.
California won’t be doing business with @walgreens — or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts women’s lives at risk.
We’re done.https://t.co/OB10cYfm8H
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 6, 2023
The state will not do business with Walgreens or “any company that cowers to extremists and endangers women’s lives,” said Newsom, a Democrat.
A spokesperson for the governor said “all relationships” between Walgreens and the state were being reviewed, but declined to elaborate on how business ties might change.
Walgreens announced last week that it would not dispense abortion pills in 20 states, including those where abortion is still legal and where Republican attorneys general have warned the company that it would be breaking the law if it did so.
Walgreens later clarified its position, saying it planned to dispense the abortion pill mifepristone in any jurisdiction where it was legal to do so.
“Once certified by the FDA, we will dispense this medication in accordance with federal and state laws,” the company stated.
Walgreens did not immediately respond to a Reuters inquiry about whether it would dispense abortion pills in the 20 states where Republican attorneys general had warned it.
In January, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized retail pharmacies to sell the abortion pill mifepristone, including by mail, if they were certified under the drug’s special safety rules.
