Wal-Mart to Stock Morning-After Pill

[NVMojo]

Mar 3, 5:00 PM EST

Officials of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Friday the company will reverse its earlier policy and stock emergency contraception pills in all of its pharmacies effective March 20, saying the giant retailer could not justify being the country's only major pharmacy chain not to carry the morning-after pill.

The announcement comes after Massachusetts last month ordered the world's largest retailer to stock the so-called Plan B pill, following a lawsuit by three Boston women against Wal-Mart.

Illinois also requires pharmacies to carry the prescription drug, and those are the only two states where Wal-Mart carries emergency contraception.

"We expect more states to require us to sell emergency contraceptives in the months ahead," said Ron Chomiuk, vice president of pharmacy for Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart.

"Because of this, and the fact that this is an FDA-approved product, we feel it is difficult to justify being the country's only major pharmacy chain not selling it," Chomiuk said in a statement.

more...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WAL_MART_CONTRACEPTION?SITE=NVLAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[progressoid]

1. Well it took a court order but it's a move in the right direction

[Charlie Brown]

10. The Mass policy was not a court order

The Mass state pharmacy board told Wal-Mart it had to stock the pill to continue operating its pharmacies. I believe they cited a law which requires pharmacies to stock all "essential medications," or something like that.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/02/14/mass_says_wal_mart_must_stock_morning_after_pill/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Massachusetts+news

[revree]

2. They just want the money.

They are not doing this because they care about women. It's about the benjamins.

[NVMojo]

4. yeah, and even their excuse appealed to conservatives $$$$$$$

[shain from kane]

5. Being shipped in from China as I write. n/t

[CTyankee]

3. CT's attorney general also weighed in

so I think Wal Mart saw the handwriting on the wall. You see, if it weren't for the blue states, this kind of contraception would probably not be offered by Wal Mart to women all over the country. We are saving the red state women! Some day, somehow, we will reap our reward from them with their votes for dems, please god!

[Nostradammit]

6. They should get the greeters to hand them out.

"If we aborted every Wal-mart baby the crime rate would certainly go down."

Or something like that.

[otohara]

7. Good -

[cally]

8. Yeah!!!

I am so grateful to the many states who took Walmart to court on this.

[Maat]

9. Too little too late.

And I've got better things to do than enrich the coffers of hardright religious zealots (the WalMart heirs).

So many reasons to continue boycotting Wal-Mart (stringently precluding shopping there unless it is a dire emergency).