Could Walgreens Big Bow to Red States Demands on Abortion Pills Backfire? We Hope So!

Could Walgreens Big Bow to Red States on Abortion Pills Backfire? It's Just Business AOC She

When Detroit native Rosalind ‘Roz’ Brewer left her position as COO at Starbucks in January 2021 to become the CEO of the Walgreens Boots Alliance, her appointment was hailed.

‘Roz’ Brewer was the first and only African American woman to lead a Fortune 500 company. And her credentials were stellar.

Walgreens Female CEO Brewer Bows to Red States

Fast forward two years, and Brewer is now the first CEO to bow to the demands of red-state attorneys general that drug store chains like CVS and Walgreens not sell abortion pills under new rules released by the FDA.

The freeze includes several states where abortion remains legal, because red states have informed Walgreens that they will punish the company for selling abortion pills to someone living in a nearby state where abortion is illegal. In some cases, new laws restricting availability of abortion pills are tied up in the courts — and could be for years.

It may be true that she has no choice, given her own expansion and acquisition plans that surely require state approvals. In mid-February the Wall Street Journal headline read: Walgreens CEO Bets on Doctors Over Drugstores in Search for Growth.

Brewer can’t possibly believe that her Medicare Advantage Plan grandmothers won’t penalize Walgreens and favor CVS, if the larger and more profitable CVS decides to at least fight in some way for their granddaughters’ access to abortion pills.

Statistica Ranks US Pharmacies Prescription Drugs Market Share

Statistica ranks top US pharmacies based on prescription drugs market share in 2022. Remember these stats are only for prescription drugs market share. Both CVS and Walgreens sell many other products.

Will Walgreens Also Discontinue Birth Control If Red States Demand It?

The right-wingers are leaving no doubt that they intend to end birth control in America. Would Brewer agree also to stop dispensing birth control pills at Walgreens if red states demand it? Flying solo out of the gate on this issue may be bold, but it could backfire big-time.

Walgreens could join a lawsuit launched by the pharma companies against the action. Decisions like this one could wrech havoc in their businesses.

If CVS doesn’t bow, they will have millions of cheerleaders supporting them — including Anne of Carversville. One thing we know for certain is that silence was the best policy for Walgreens when competitors are not issuing statements.

Being the first to bow to red states with no attempt to create a strategy for women customers in a company lead by a Black woman is not impressive at all. And we won’t forget it.

No one I know wants to publicly drag a Black woman Fortune 500 CEO through the mud. But we won’t forget this move either. It smacks of total appeasement right out of the gate.