Pritzker part of an alliance of governors aiming to safeguard access to abortion pills

CHICAGO (25News Now) - Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is among 14 governors in the U.S. calling on the largest pharmacies in the U.S. preserve access to abortion medication.

The letter from the so-called Reproductive Freedom Alliance comes a week after California Gov. Gavin Newsom terminated a $54 million contract with Walgreens for deciding not to sell abortion pills by mail in some conservative-led states.

“I’ve spoken with Walgreens executives and expressed my deep disappointment at their announced policy, and I’ve urged them to rethink this decision that will severely limit access to essential healthcare for thousands of women,” said Pritzker in a news release.

“I’m calling on all major pharmacies to resist the political grandstanding of certain state Attorneys General and preserve this right wherever reproductive choice is still allowed—which will always be the case in Illinois while I am Governor,” Pritzker said.

The letter from Pritzker, Newsom and 12 other Alliance members asks major pharmacies to clarify how they plan to protect access to medication like Mifepristone.

The news release noted that Mifepristone has been FDA approved since 2000 and made available by mail order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The governors sent the letter to executives from CVS, Walmart, Rite-Aid, Safeway, Health Mart, Kroger, Costco, and Target.

The Reproductive Freedom Alliance is composed governors from Illinois, California, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.