Kentucky’s attorney general is asking two of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains not to distribute abortion pills by mail.
CVS and Walgreens plan to make the drugs available to consumers after gaining approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Last month, the FDA granted retail pharmacies the ability to sell the abortion-inducing drug Mifepristone, which can be used to terminate a pregnancy up to ten weeks gestation.
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer, Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron says the Biden administration is misinterpreting federal law to promote its abortion policies.
“Mailing abortion medication places the health of mothers at risk and could increase the number of coerced abortions," Cameron said in a statement. "We will not stand by and allow the Biden Administration to disregard federal law to advance its political agenda.”
Cameron has joined a 20-state coalition of attorneys general in sending letters to CVS and Walgreens. The coalition, led by Missouri AG Andrew Bailey, asks the companies halt their plans to ship abortion medicine.
The coalition warns that mailing abortion pills may violate many state laws, including Kentucky’s Human Life Protection Act. That law prohibits selling any medicine with the intent of terminating a pregnancy.
While the FDA rule makes Mifepristone available at both retail and mail-order pharmacies, patients will need to obtain a prescription for the drug.
Both CVS and Walgreens have said they’ll dispense the drug consistent with federal and state laws.
