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The 20 states Walgreens includes in its list are those where abortion is banned or restricted.
Walgreens sent a letter to the Kansas attorney general in early February addressing the state’s concerns, saying, "Walgreens does not intend to dispense Mifepristone within your state." The company additionally told NPR that it responded to all of the attorneys general and told them it has stopped distributing mifepristone in their states.
Republican attorneys general from 19 states sent letters to CVS, Costco, Walmart, Albertsons, and Kroger.
A statement from Rite Aid spokesperson Catherine Carter sent to CNN said, “Rite Aid is monitoring the latest federal, state, legal, and regulatory developments regarding mifepristone dispensing, and we will continue to evaluate the Company’s ability to dispense mifepristone in accordance with those developments.”
Medication abortion is at the center of the reproductive justice battle. A federal judge in Texas is set to rule soon on the abortion medication.
According to The Hill, conservative Judge Matthew Kacsmar, appointed by former President Donald Trump, is expected to rule against the FDA’s drug approval. Kacsmar has a history of opposition to abortion.
Mifepristone, used in conjunction with misoprostol, is the most common medication abortion regimen in the U.S.
Calls for a nationwide boycott of Walgreens are growing. Filmmaker Michael Moore has been vocal in calling for a boycott of the 9,200-store chain.
“This decision by Walgreens to further cement women’s status as second-class citizens must be met forcefully by each and every one of us. Every day of our silence since last Thursday is another day of you and I enabling this bigotry and misogyny,” Moore wrote on his website. “Please join with me and others in a NATIONWIDE BOYCOTT OF WALGREENS. They must reverse their decision immediately.”
According to California’s KRON, Gov. Gavin Newsom tore into the chain on Monday, saying the state would no longer be doing business with it. “California won’t be doing business with Walgreens or any company that cowers to extremists and puts women’s lives at risk.”
“We’re done,” the California governor added.
What do Americans really think about the issues? It turns out they are a surprisingly liberal bunch, as Rachael Russell of Navigator Research tells us on this week's episode of The Downballot. Russell explains how Navigator conducts in-depth research to fill in gaps in policy debates with hard data instead of pundit speculation. The challenge for Democrats is that many voters say they hold progressive beliefs but still pull the lever for Republicans. That imbalance, however, presents an opportunity—Democrats just have to seize it.
Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard also recap the first round of voting in the race for Chicago mayor, which saw a progressive apocalypse averted; the resolution to the long-running uncertainty over the speakership in the Pennsylvania state House that saw Joanna McClinton make history; Rep. Elissa Slotkin's entry into Michigan's open Senate race, which makes her the first prominent candidate to run; and the inexplicable decision by conservatives to go dark on the airwaves for a full week following last week's primary in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
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