AILSA CHANG, HOST:

California Governor Gavin Newsom despatched a warning on Twitter to Walgreens yesterday after the pharmacy chain introduced that it will solely dispense a drugs used for abortion in some states the place it operates. Newsom tweeted, quote, “California will not be doing enterprise with Walgreens or any firm that cowers to the extremists and places ladies’s lives in danger.” NPR’s Selena Simmons-Duffin has been taking a look at what which means for abortion entry and what’s behind this determination from Walgreens. She’s right here to fill us in. Hey, Selena.

SELENA SIMMONS-DUFFIN, BYLINE: Hello, Ailsa.

CHANG: OK, so let’s again up for a second. Are you able to simply clarify the position that pharmacies presently play in offering entry to the remedy we’re speaking about right here?

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Proper. So we’re speaking about mifepristone. It is one among two drugs that is used to induce an abortion or to deal with a miscarriage. It blocks the hormone known as progesterone. And because the drug was permitted in 2000, there have been numerous restrictions on who can present it, who can prescribe it, how sufferers can get it. They must, you understand, take it in a clinic in entrance of a clinician. These guidelines loosened a bit within the pandemic. And at this level, about half of all abortions within the nation are carried out with drugs, so it is a huge a part of this story. In January, the Meals and Drug Administration introduced that it will permit retail pharmacies to use to be licensed to dispense this remedy for the primary time. In order that’s an enormous deal for entry. And for lots of OB-GYNs, like Dr. Daniel Grossman at UCSF, it is lengthy overdue.

DANIEL GROSSMAN: We now have an incredible quantity of proof, together with our personal analysis, displaying that pharmacists shelling out mifepristone is secure and efficient. And so, lastly, the coverage is beginning to catch as much as the science.

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: After the FDA stated that they may, Walgreens and CVS each introduced that they’d be making use of to be licensed. However they’re dealing with lots of strain since making these bulletins.

CHANG: Wait. What sort of strain?

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Properly, Walgreens’ board assembly was interrupted by some anti-abortion protesters in late January. Then 20 attorneys common from Republican states despatched a letter in February to Walgreens and plenty of different pharmacy chains warning them that in the event that they allowed mifepristone to be despatched by means of the mail, they’d be violating a Nineteenth-century federal legislation. Now, the rationale that we’re speaking about Walgreens right this moment is as a result of it truly responded to the letter. Different chains like CVS and Walmart and Kroger, which additionally bought the letter, apparently haven’t responded in any respect. Walgreens did. And it stated to the AGs, basically, don’t be concerned. We’ll solely be shelling out this remedy in locations the place we legally can. So I known as up Lindsay Wiley, a well being legislation professor at UCLA.

LINDSAY WILEY: I might think about that, you understand, CVS is feeling fairly good about hanging again and seeing how this performs out proper now.

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: To be clear, nothing has modified but. That is about an introduced plan for expanded entry to this remedy by means of retail pharmacies. It is a combat concerning the future. However Wiley says it is an vital combat now that states have far more affect over entry to reproductive well being care.

WILEY: Mifepristone abortion capsules have turn out to be a political soccer for state elected officers – governors, attorneys common – to claim the ability that they’ve.

CHANG: OK, nicely, Selena, politics apart, what does Governor Newsom’s announcement imply, virtually talking, this concept that California is not going to be doing enterprise with Walgreens?

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Yeah, I put that query to Richard Dang right this moment. He is the president of the California Pharmacists Affiliation, and this is how he responded.

RICHARD DANG: That is a extremely nice query and a query that we’re attempting to reply ourselves as nicely.

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: His greatest guess is that California would possibly attempt to use its public medical health insurance plans – just like the Obamacare alternate plans, Medicaid, insurance coverage for state staff – to make these plan not contract with Walgreens. That may imply folks with these plans would not be capable of get any of their drugs crammed by means of Walgreens. However Wiley, the legislation professor, says executing on that may be super-complicated since there are lots of non-public insurance coverage contracts concerned. It could be super-slow. It is also a guess. As I stated, Newsom’s workplace hasn’t offered any particulars to NPR or different retailers a few timeline or specifics. Wiley says, to her, it is much less a few coverage and extra about sending a message, which is what the Republican attorneys common had been attempting to do too, to make use of their clout to affect what these pharmacy chains do subsequent in relation to entry to abortion capsules.

CHANG: That’s NPR’s Selena Simmons-Duffin. Thanks, Selena.

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Thanks.

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