Washington, D.C. –  Today, Concerned Women for America (CWA), the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization, blasted CVS and Walgreens drug stores for their decision to sell Mifepristone, the abortion drug that lacks the safety precautions and medical protocols necessary to keep women safe. Officials at CVS and Walgreens said the chains plan to make the drug available in stores in a handful of states at first.

Mifepristone is used to terminate a pregnancy up to ten weeks, but the lack of medical oversight and access to emergency medical assistance can be fatal to young women taking it alone and late in pregnancy. This drug blocks the mother’s natural production of “progesterone” for her child, cutting off blood and nourishment to the baby. The unborn child begins to starve to death. Between 24-48 hours later, the woman takes Misoprostol which causes the mother to contract and bleed to force the child out of the womb.

“There is nothing safe or effective about women performing their own DIY abortion,” said Penny Nance, CEO and President of CWA. “CVS and Walgreens will now be complicit in allowing anyone anywhere to have an abortion without any in-person medical supervision, reliable in-person safeguards and checks, and without a routine medical examination.

“The medical community has had concerns over these drugs for years as the FDA cut corners, ignored safety concerns, fast-tracked, and politicized the process when they approved mifepristone.”

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) undermined its legal obligation to protect women’s health, safety, and welfare when it approved the abortion drug years ago. This has led to a Supreme Court case FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, in which a group of doctors and national medical associations oppose the removal of safety precautions on Mifepristone and are asking the court to affirm the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit’s decision holding that the FDA acted unlawfully by removing those original safety standards.

“CVS and Walgreens will need to answer for their reckless disregard for the women who take this drug,” continued Nance. “Americans who are concerned for the safety and well-being of young women need to make their voices heard at their local CVS and Walgreens pharmacies.”

For more information or to schedule an interview with Penny Nance, please contact comms@cwfa.org.