Gov. Gavin Newsom says that California is “done” doing business with Walgreens.
Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images; Shae Hammond//MediaNews Group/East Bay Times via Getty Images
Gov. Gavin Newsom says California is “done” doing business with Walgreens.
Newsom tweeted on Tuesday that Walgreens “cowers to the extremists and puts women’s lives at risk.”
On Friday, Walgreens said it won’t be selling an abortion pill in 20 states.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is going to war with Walgreens over the company’s decision to stop selling an abortion pill in 20 states.
“California won’t be doing business with @walgreens — or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts women’s lives at risk. We’re done,” Newsom tweeted on Monday.
Newsom did not elaborate on how far-reaching the business ties are between the state of California and Walgreens, or say what he specifically plans to roll back.
A spokesperson for Newsom told Insider that California is “reviewing all relationships between Walgreens and the state.”
“We will not pursue business with companies that cave to right-wing bullies pushing their extremist agenda or companies that put politics above the health of women and girls,” the Newsom spokesperson told Insider.
Walgreens has 586 stores in California, more than almost any other state and behind only Florida, with 820 Walgreens stores, and Texas, which has 701 outlets in the state.
Newsom’s feud with Walgreens comes after the company said on Friday that it will not dispense mifepristone, an abortion pill, in 20 states. Walgreens told Insider that it intends to seek FDA certification to distribute mifepristone “only in those jurisdictions where it is legal and operationally feasible.”
“Once we are certified by the FDA, we will dispense this medication consistent with federal and state laws,” Walgreens said in its statement. “Providing legally approved medications to patients is what pharmacies do, and is rooted in our commitment to the communities in which we operate.”
Newsom has been staunchly pro-choice. In December 2021, he said he plans for California to be a “sanctuary” for abortions. This was before the Supreme Court gutted Roe v. Wade in June, undoing 50 years of legalized abortion in the US.
Representatives for Walgreens and Newsom did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.