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Walgreens and CVS Health Corp said on Jan. 4 that they plan to
offer abortion pills following the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration's (FDA) decision to allow retail pharmacies to
offer the drug in the country for the first time.
"Today, directly after the close of official business of our
annual shareholders meeting, a small group of protesters entered
the meeting room without authorization," Walgreens Senior
Director for External Relations Fraser Engerman told Reuters.
"We are grateful that none of our shareholders, team members and
event staff were harmed during this incident," Engerman said in
a written statement.
The FDA on Jan. 3 finalized a rule allowing retail pharmacies to
sell mifepristone. However, pharmacies must still weigh whether
and where to offer the pill given political controversy
surrounding abortion in the United States.
"It was a wild annual shareholders meeting," said Walgreens
shareholder and AGM attendee John Chevedden. "The protesters
knew what they were doing because they found a way to enter the
room from behind the podium. It was a complete surprise."
"Upon leaving the meeting there were about 50 noisy protesters
with signs just outside of the resort grounds," he said via
email.
U.S. abortion rights were curtailed in 2022 when the U.S.
Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to terminating
pregnancies when it scrapped a landmark ruling in the 1973 Roe
vs. Wade case.
"We believe strongly in the right to peaceful protest, and an
area was set aside for this purpose, but unfortunately some
protesters took further disruptive actions," said Engerman.
(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein and Ross Kerber; Editing by
Christopher Cushing)
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