California shuns Walgreens over its abortion pill stance

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Monday that the state will no longer do business with Walgreens over its recent decision not to distribute abortion medication by mail in 20 U.S. states.

His denouncement of the second-largest U.S. pharmacy chain came after Walgreens on Friday said it will stop distributing mifepristone, part of the two-drug combination commonly referred to as the abortion pill.

“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 Monday. 

The move comes after Republican attorneys in 20 states pressured Walgreens not to sell abortion medication and threatened legal action. 

Walgreens did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company said in a statement to CBS News last week that it intends to “become a certified pharmacy under the program, however we will only dispense in those jurisdictions where it is legal to do if we are certified.”

More than half of all abortions performed in the U.S. use mifepristone. The drug, which is also also used to treat miscarriages. can be ordered online with a prescription, even in states where surgical abortions are restricted. 

—The Associated Press contributed to this report.