Why are we not fighting the right battles when it comes to women's rights?

This past Friday, Walgreens announced that they will not distribute mifepristone, commonly referred to as abortion pills, in twenty states that had warned the company of legal consequences if it did so. Immediately followed the calls to boycott Walgreens, and I let out a sigh. If you have been following the Exhaling Life blog or my Instagram stories, then you already know that I stand very firmly on the rights to abortion as a human right for women. I wrote about it before Roe v Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court and showed support to gain it back with financial contributions to various non-governmental organizations.

Calling for a boycott on Walgreens is one of the reasons why we, the women, have been losing the war on our rights to make reproductive decisions. Rather than battling the causations, we focus on the outcome. We get outraged by headlines rather than taking in a holistic view. Are we expecting Walgreens to risk being indicted under RICO, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, and lose their license to distribute all prescribed medications and treatments? Walgreens didn’t decide not to distribute mifepristone in the twenty states because they don’t believe in our rights to reproductive decisions but because they received a letter containing threats of RICO indictments from those twenty State General Attorneys in February should Walgreens start distributing the abortion pills in their states.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Before you join the “boycott Walgreens” wagon, here are some facts to consider. I’ve seen misinformation about Walgreens stopping or halting distribution. They are not stopping any distribution since they currently cannot distribute in any of the 50 states. First and foremost, Walgreens does not currently distribute mifepristone abortion pills in the United States. Distribution of these abortion pills requires a certification from the FDA and the company is in the process of obtaining the certification. They are continuing in the certification process to distribute the abortion pills and will do so in the states where they can lawfully distribute the abortion pills once the certification is obtained.

We don’t blame the clinics for closing after abortion became illegal in their states. So, why are we blaming Walgreens for announcing that they will not unlawfully distribute abortion pills? Are you thinking CVS will unlawfully distribute these abortion pills? They are waiting on a pending lawsuit regarding mifepristone which will dictate if they can or cannot distribute the abortion pills in all 50 states. Walgreens at least committed to distributing abortion pills where they can lawfully do so. CVS? They are watching in silence.

Walgreens’ distribution plan for abortion pills won’t matter at all if the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (AHM) wins its claim that the FDA overstepped or didn’t follow protocols in approving abortion pills more than two decades ago. The lawsuit was filed in November 2022 in Texas and now awaits Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s decision. He was appointed by former President Donald Trump. Judge Kacsmaryk’s views are thought to be among the more openly conservative and driven by Christian dogma. If the ruling is made in favor of AHM, then mifepristone could be taken off the market in all 50 states. This decision is expected any day now. No matter the decision, years of legal war over abortion pills are expected.

Honestly, I don’t care about Walgreens. They will sell the abortion pills wherever they can lawfully sell them. They are a business, so they will do what is profitable within the bounds of the law. What matters… What we need to have on our radars… What we need to battle isn’t with Walgreens. As I wrote in July 2022, we are in a war where battles are fought in our courts and at Capitol Hill. We are looking at years, decades of legal and legislative battles, and those require our financial support to organizations who are fighting in courts and with legislators. Shouldn’t we battle the laws that prevent access to abortion and not the business that is being threatened by the law?

What does boycotting Walgreens achieve? Are we anticipating that Walgreens will announce that they will unlawfully distribute the abortion pills? If we want to make an impact as consumers, shouldn’t we boycott any companies that do business with these 20 states? I’m talking toilet paper, light bulbs, hand sanitizers, cleaning supplies, computers, vehicles and such. Directly or indirectly, any business that profits from these 20 state governments. Isn’t that more impactful than boycotting Walgreens?


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