SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday withdrew a $54 million contract with Walgreens after the pharmacy giant indicated it would not sell an abortion pill by mail in some conservative-led states.
Newsom on Wednesday ordered state officials to not renew a contract with Walgreens to purchase specialty pharmacy prescription drugs for California’s prison health care system, including antiviral and antifungal drugs and medication used for congestive heart failure. Walgreens has gotten about $54 million from the contract, which expires April 30.
Newsom’s office said the state will buy the drugs somewhere else.
“California will not stand by as corporations cave to extremists and cut off critical access to reproductive care and freedom,” Newsom said in a news release. “California is on track to be the fourth largest economy in the world and we will leverage our market power to defend the right to choose.”
Walgreens representative Fraser Engerman said the company was “deeply disappointed by the decision by the state of California not to renew our longstanding contract due to false and misleading information.”
“Walgreens is facing the same circumstances as all retail pharmacies, and no other pharmacies have said that they would approach this situation differently, so it’s unclear where this contract would not be moved,” Engerman said. “Our position has always been that, once we are certified by the FDA, Walgreens plans to dispense Mifepristone in any jurisdiction where it is legally permissible to do so, including the state of California.”
Mifepristone is a pill that when combined with another pill will end a pregnancy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the pill in 2000 for use in up to the 10th week of pregnancy. Today, more than half of all abortions in the U.S. are done by pills, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.
After the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned the federal right to an abortion, more than a dozen states have restricted the use of abortion pills. But those restrictions are being challenged in court.
Attorneys general in 20 states, mostly with Republican governors, have warned Walgreens and CVS they could face legal consequences if they sell abortion pills in their states. Last week, Walgreens confirmed it sent a response to each attorney general saying it would not dispense the drug in their states.
Newsom responded to that news on Monday, posting in a message on Twitter that 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,” Newsom said.
Losing the California contract will have a small impact on Walgreens’ revenues, as the company reported $132.7 billion in sales for the fiscal year that ended Aug. 31.
But for Newsom, the move is more about solidifying California’s role as a leader in what he has called “reproductive freedom.”
President wannabe Newsom gaslighting is hilarious. Walgreens is shutting its stores anyways. Who wants to do retail business in a state where shoplifting has become legal and medications become mandatory? How long before all California drug stores pull up stakes? Amazon loves it.
What are the chances that a fair share of the illegals and homeless coming to California are just to take advantage of “the free stuff”?
Marxist socialism always ends in disaster. We are well on the way.
Does Newsom’s god approve of abortion?
That will be a boon to Walgreens, probably will get tons more business not kowtowing to the progressive radical leftists, I hate CVS anyhow. Hello Walgreens!
Dang you beat me to it……..
I will drive an extra 5 miles to get to their store if for no other reason to buy some gum.
The Dem’s really are the gang that could not shoot straight.
Agreed.
Should Walgreens stop taking MediCal? Stop filling prescriptions for CalPERS members? This can go both ways. Walgreens can’t find enough pharmacist & staff because it costs too much to live in California. I think Walgreens wins.
Well done CommieNewsom, another socialist statement that hurts CA over what happens in a different state and further urging a business to leave this **it hole state.