Latest news with #AllianceDefendingFreedom
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Costco says it won't sell mifepristone abortion pill
Costco will not sell the abortion pill mifepristone at its pharmacy locations, the shopping club told CBS News. The wholesaler said its decision not to sell the prescription medication was based on a "lack of demand from our members and other patients." "They generally have the drug dispensed by their medical providers," Costco said in a statement to CBS News. Costco's position on the abortion pill, which was first reported by Bloomberg, was praised by a conservative religious coalition, called the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), an anti-abortion advocacy group that had urged Costco not to sell mifepristone. "We applaud Costco for doing the right thing by its shareholders and resisting activist calls to sell abortion drugs," ADF's legal counsel Michael Ross said in a statement Thursday. "Retailers like Costco keep their doors open by selling a lifetime of purchases to families, both large and small. They have nothing to gain and much to lose by becoming abortion dispensaries." Mifepristone, first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000, is part of a two-step regimen with misoprostol used to end a pregnancy through 10 weeks. It is used in over half of all abortions in the U.S., according to research from the Guttmacher Institute. Passenger arrested after allegedly causing disturbance midair and forcing flight to divert Tropical Storm Erin expected to become a major hurricane When could Tropical Storm Erin become a hurricane? Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
9 hours ago
- Health
- CBS News
Costco says it won't sell mifepristone abortion pill
Costco will not sell the abortion pill mifepristone at its pharmacy locations, the shopping club told CBS News. The wholesaler said its decision not to sell the prescription medication was based on a "lack of demand from our members and other patients." "They generally have the drug dispensed by their medical providers," Costco said in a statement to CBS News. Costco's position on the abortion pill, which was first reported by Bloomberg, was praised by a conservative religious coalition, called the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), an anti-abortion advocacy group that had urged Costco not to sell mifepristone. "We applaud Costco for doing the right thing by its shareholders and resisting activist calls to sell abortion drugs," ADF's legal counsel Michael Ross said in a statement Thursday. "Retailers like Costco keep their doors open by selling a lifetime of purchases to families, both large and small. They have nothing to gain and much to lose by becoming abortion dispensaries." Mifepristone, first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000, is part of a two-step regimen with misoprostol used to end a pregnancy through 10 weeks. It is used in over half of all abortions in the U.S., according to research from the Guttmacher Institute.
New York Post
12 hours ago
- Business
- New York Post
Costco won't sell abortion pills after outcry from religious groups
Costco said it will not offer abortion pills at any of its more than 500 pharmacies nationwide, a move celebrated by religious groups that lobbied against the drug being dispensed by retailers. The Washington state-based wholesaler insisted its decision was based on a lack of customer interest in the medication, Mifepristone, which together with another medicine called misoprostol, is used to end a pregnancy within 10 weeks of gestation. It didn't address whether pressure from conservative organizations influenced the move. 4 A Costco location in the US, one of more than 500 company pharmacies that will not provide Mifepristone. Getty Images A coalition of religious groups including Idaho-based Inspire Investing, the conservative legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom and treasurers and other financial officials from Ohio, Texas, Nevada and Utah had contacted the retailer last year requesting it not carry the drug, according to Bloomberg News. 'It's a very significant win and it's one we hope to build on this coming year,' said Michael Ross, an attorney working with Alliance Defending Freedom's corporate engagement division. Ross indicated the coalition plans to target Walgreens Boots Alliance and CVS next. Both pharmacy chains currently provide mifepristone in states that don't have abortion restrictions. People living in states that have severely limited abortion can obtain the medication by mail from states without such bans. The religious investors sent similar requests last year to Kroger, Walmart and Albertsons alongside Costco, urging them against carrying the medication. Kroger responded that it has never provided abortion pills and continues monitoring regulatory developments. Neither Walmart nor Albertsons currently stocks the medicine. Costco's decision intensifies the ongoing debate about access to the medication. 4 Mifepristone tablets are part of a two-drug regimen to terminate early pregnancies. AP New York City Comptroller Brad Lander had written to various retailers in July last year representing city pension funds, encouraging them to pursue authorization for offering the drug. 'Costco's decision to refuse to dispense mifepristone is disappointing and short-sighted,' a representative from Lander's office told Bloomberg. 'Failure to provide access to proven safe and FDA-approved medication under the guise of 'weak demand' risks isolating customers and undermines the company's credibility.' The Post has sought comment from Costco and Lander. The religious organizations have promised to continue to ramp up pressure. 'We have this momentum,' said Tim Schwarzenberger, who leads corporate engagement at Inspire, which manages the biggest religious exchange-traded fund. 'Now there is a chance to turn to some of the other retailers.' doesn't presently sell the medication, and Schwarzenberger indicated his organization will work to maintain that status. 4 A patient prepares to take mifepristone, which blocks progesterone to end an early-stage pregnancy. AP Amazon didn't provide a response to inquiries. Walgreens declined to comment but referenced information on its website stating: 'The US Supreme Court's ruling on mifepristone access allows Walgreens to continue to dispense mifepristone under the FDA guidelines.' CVS confirmed it distributes mifepristone in certain states where permitted after completing what it called a thorough certification procedure. 'We have a long history of supporting and advancing women's health and we remain focused on meeting their unique health needs. This includes providing access to safe, legal, and evidence-based reproductive health services,' the company stated. The elimination of nationwide abortion protections has resulted in uneven access throughout the US, leading telehealth providers to address some service gaps. Various state legislators have proposed legislation to designate mifepristone as a restricted drug and reduce telehealth availability. According to tracking by the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit research organization, lawmakers introduced 32 proposals to prohibit medication abortion and 38 to restrict access during the 2025 legislative period, representing the highest number since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Data from the Society of Family Planning, an abortion rights organization, shows most abortions in America still occur either at medical facilities or through prescriptions from doctors filled at pharmacies like CVS or Walgreens. A smaller percentage involves prescriptions delivered by mail. 4 Anti-abortion demonstrators rally outside the US Supreme Court in March of last year as debate over medication abortion continues. AP Following increased state-level abortion restrictions, more women have pursued online mifepristone prescriptions for mail delivery. These shipments now represent approximately 25% of American abortions, up from 5 percent before the 2022 Supreme Court decision that ended federal abortion protections. Eight states permitting abortion have enacted protective legislation shielding doctors from prosecution when prescribing mifepristone to patients in states with abortion prohibitions. Ushma Upadhyay, a reproductive sciences professor at the University of California, San Francisco, explained that CVS, Walgreens and similar pharmacies don't provide the medication in states prohibiting abortion, creating difficulties for women seeking the procedure. Telehealth providers can utilize protective laws to ship pills directly to states with restrictions, she noted. This has generated legal disputes. A Texas resident filed a lawsuit in July against a California physician for prescribing abortion medication to his girlfriend. A New York doctor faces criminal charges in Louisiana and a lawsuit from Texas's Attorney General for shipping pills to patients in those states.
Reuters
13 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Costco to stop selling abortion pill mifepristone at its US pharmacy stores
Aug 14 (Reuters) - Costco Wholesale (COST.O), opens new tab said on Thursday it will stop selling abortion pill mifepristone across all its U.S. pharmacy stores, citing low demand. "Our position at this time not to sell mifepristone, which has not changed, is based on the lack of demand from our members and other patients, who we understand generally have the drug dispensed by their medical providers," Costco said, adding that it will stop the sale at its more than 500 pharmacies. The decision comes amid campaigns against the pill by religious activist groups, including Inspire Investing and Alliance Defending Freedom. "Many retailers have become more cautious about taking overt political or social stances after recent controversies triggered boycotts, negative media coverage, and polarized consumer reactions," said Arun Sundaram, senior analyst at CFRA. Bloomberg reported earlier in the day that religious activist groups, which targeted retailers including Costco, Kroger (KR.N), opens new tab, Walmart (WMT.N), opens new tab and Albertsons (ACI.N), opens new tab last year, will now focus on Walgreens (WBA.O), opens new tab and CVS Health (CVS.N), opens new tab that dispense the pill in states where abortion is legal. "The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on mifepristone access allows Walgreens to continue to dispense mifepristone under the FDA guidelines," Walgreens' website states. Kroger said it was reviewing the FDA's updated mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) drug safety program, while CVS told Reuters that it fills "prescriptions for mifepristone in select states where legally permissible." Mifepristone was approved in combination with misoprostol in 2000 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to end a pregnancy within 10 weeks of gestation. Mifepristone blocks progesterone, the hormone that helps a woman's body maintain the lining of the uterus during pregnancy. Misoprostol is then taken to complete the abortion process. Danco Laboratories, which manufactures the abortion pill regimen, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment, while Walmart declined to comment.
Bloomberg
19 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Costco Won't Sell Abortion Pill as Religious Investors Declare Win
Costco Wholesale Corp. has decided not to dispense the abortion pill mifepristone at its more than 500 pharmacy locations, a decision hailed by a group of faith-based activists who urged the retailer to avoid selling the drug. Costco said in a statement that it hasn't seen consumer demand for the pill, and had no comment on whether the conservative group had any role in its decision. The religious coalition includes Idaho-based Inspire Investing; conservative activist organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF); and treasurers and other financial officials from states such as Ohio, Texas, Nevada and Utah. Last year, the group had asked the company to not begin selling the medication. 'It's a very significant win and it's one we hope to build on this coming year,' said Michael Ross, legal counsel for the corporate engagement team at ADF.
