ST. LOUIS (AP) — Attorneys general in 20 conservative-led states, including Indiana, are warning CVS and Walgreens that they could face legal consequences if they sell abortion pills by mail in those states.
A letter Wednesday from Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to the nation’s largest pharmacy-dispensing companies was co-signed by 19 other attorneys general, warning that sale of abortion pills would violate federal law and abortion laws in many states.
The letter comes about a month after both pharmacy chains announcedthey plan to provide abortion pills following the Food and Drug Administration's rule change that broadens availability for the pills.
A spokesperson for the Indiana Attorney General's Office sent the following statement to WRTV.
“Indiana law prohibits abortion-inducing drugs from being administered by anyone other than a physician in person. It is illegal for pharmacies to permit the sale of Mifepristone in Indiana. The Office of the Attorney General reminded pharmacists of this last year, and it remains true today.”
Missouri is among states that implemented strict abortion prohibitions last summer after the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
Nineteen states have imposed restrictions on abortion pills, but there’s a court battle over whether they have the power to do so in defiance of U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy.
“We emphasize that it is our responsibility as State Attorneys General to uphold the law and protect the health, safety, and well-being of women and unborn children in our states,” the attorneys general conclude in the letter. “Part of that responsibility includes ensuring that companies like yours are fully informed of the law so that harm does not come to our citizens.”
A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Wednesdayfound about half of the adults surveyed said they are are “unsure” as to whether medication abortion is legal in their state, including 41% of women ages 18 to 49.
More than half of U.S. abortions are now done with pills rather than surgery, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.
The FDA in 2000 approved mifepristone to terminate pregnancies of up to 10 weeks, when used with a second drug, misoprostol. Mifepristone is taken first to dilate the cervix and block the hormone progesterone, which is needed to sustain a pregnancy. Misoprostol is taken 24 to 48 hours later, causing the uterus to contract and expel pregnancy tissue.
The poll found three in ten adults (31%) have heard of mifepristone, also known as RU-486.
You can read the letter to Walgreens and the letter to CVS.
-
Judge pauses Trump administration's plans for mass layoffs at CFPB
A federal judge who blocked the Trump administration from dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has ruled that the agency can't go forward immediately with plans to mass fire employees.
Senate Bill aimed at various education matters gets support from Indy families
A Senate bill working its way through the statehouse right now could potentially give thousands of students better access to transportation.
Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Cece Winans bring Christmas Tour to Fishers
The Fishers Event Center announced on Friday that Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Cece Winans are making a stop in Fishers for their Christmas Together Tour.
Chinese manufacturers are enticing Americans to buy from them amid the trade war
Chinese manufacturers urge shoppers to "cut out the middleman"— meaning e-commerce sites like Temu and Amazon — and "buy direct" from their warehouses. But experts warn it's not that simple.
