'Brought this on themselves': Both antiabortion and abortion rights activists rally to boycott Walgreens

Walgreens is facing backlash from both pro-choice and pro-life activists following its decision to stop distributing the abortion pill, Mifepristone, The Washington Post reports.

Experts told The Post the healthcare giant's recent decision "poses a threat to drug chains' relationships with consumers."

Dean of the Temple University Beasley School of Law, Rachel Rebouche, said, "Walgreens appears to be taking a cautious approach amid so much uncertainty."

READ MORE: 'Blatant contradictions': Walgreens leaves experts 'very concerned' after ending abortion pill distribution

The Post reports:

Walgreens scrambled to find a safe middle ground based on using legal criteria. But that’s a delicate task on such a historically divisive issue, and as rapidly shifting state laws and rules remain in dispute or face court challenges in multiple jurisdictions.

Rebouche noted, "This is such a dynamic and frankly confusing legal landscape. That a lot is happening at the level of public opinion and messaging."

According to The Post, abortion rights activists launched the hashtag #boycottwalgreens on Twitter, which stems from the activists' frustration regarding "the pharmacy giant’s plans to refuse to dispense abortion pills in 21 states, including four states where abortion remains legal."

READ MORE: GOP Attorneys General warn CVS and Walgreens against delivering abortion pills

The Post reports,

On the other side, antiabortion demonstrators disrupted the chain’s annual shareholder meeting and plan to continue protesting Walgreens for dispensing the drugs, Mifepristone and misoprostol, anywhere. They are attempting to portray retail drugstores as a new version of abortion providers.

Walgreens Senior Director for External Relations, Fraser Engerman, told Reuters in a statement, "We are grateful that none of our shareholders, team members and event staff were harmed during this incident."

Kristan Hawkins, president of antiabortion group Students for Life of America says Walgreens "brought this on themselves."

READ MORE: How 'the most lawless jurist in the country' could ban medical abortions 'in all 50 states': journalists

Professor of law at Drake University in Iowa, Sally Frank, noted "a recent initiative in the state's legislature to ban abortion pills did not advance." She said, "There's no reason [Walgreens] should have caved."

Regarding the role social media plays in the company's backlash, The Post reports:

Social media has helped activists bring cultural and political feuds directly to the doorstep of major corporations. Republicans have recently taken to hunting down and publicizing examples of what they call 'woke capitalism' throughout corporate America, including Wall Street. It’s hard to find any corner of the economy that is immune. In addition to health care and energy, there's blowout cultural fights over tech, sports franchises, retailers and entertainment.

In response to California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom's recent "threat" to "block Walgreens from receiving any state business," Walgreens posted a statement to Twitter earlier this week, saying, "We want to be very clear about what our position has always been. Walgreens plans to dispense Mifepristone in any jurisdiction where it is legally permissible to do so."

READ MORE: 'Control — that’s all they care about': How Tennessee’s 'unconstitutional' anti-abortion law imperils women

The Washington Post's full report is available at this link (subscription required). Reuters' report is here.