A simple way we can speak out against stores willing to profit from abortion is by taking our business elsewhere. Whether it’s a national chain or a neighborhood pharmacy, each makes a decision as to whether they will offer the abortion drug among its prescriptions.

Just as many Christians and Catholics want nothing to do with politicians who promote or fund abortion, plenty are now taking their prescriptions elsewhere when they learn that their pharmacies offer abortion pills.

When abortion pills became available by prescription -- including telemedicine with no face-to-face visit required -- lots of pharmacies jumped on the bandwagon and said, “We’re in!”  That included Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, and Sam’s Club.

Mifepristone (brand name Mifeprex) is used to abort unborn babies up to about 10 weeks of pregnancy -- although some abortionists use it later.

Apart from the deaths of millions of unborn babies, the FDA has linked mifepristone to at least 28 women’s deaths and 4,000 serious complications. Unfortunately, the FDA stopped requiring that non-fatal complications from mifepristone be reported.

In August, 2024 Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) spearheaded letters from, “a coalition of firms, financial advisers, and thousands of Costco members,” urging Costco not to sell chemical abortion drugs through their pharmacies.

Here’s part of the letter sent to Costco, with similar letters sent to Albertsons, Kroger, Walmart, and McKesson Corporation:

“Maximizing shareholder value requires Costco to avoid politicizing its services and to continue to do what it has always done best, provide excellent grocery and retail goods to families... The ‘growing market opportunity’ of abortion drugs is legally and politically fraught, raises significant reputational issues, and reduces the company’s customer base, both literally and because it would drive away many existing customers.”

Since then, both Costco and Walmart have discontinued sales of the abortion drug. Live Action circulated a video and petition thanking the company and urging pro-lifers to switch their pharmacies from CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid, which have entered the abortion pill business.

Kroger and Sam’s Club have also announced that they will not sell abortion drugs.

Abortion drug emergencies are more common than what abortion activists often claim, with as many as one in 17 women requiring hospital treatment. A recent study by the Charlotte Lozier Institute, “Comparative Acuity of Emergency Department Visits Following Pregnancy Outcomes Among Medicaid Eligible Women, 2004-2015,” found that the rate of abortion-related emergency room visits by women taking the abortion drug increased more than 500 percent between 2002 and 2015.

Another recent study from the University of Toronto, “Short-Term Adverse Outcomes After Mifepristone-Misoprostol Versus Procedural Induced Abortion,” published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that one in ten women who took the abortion pill had to go to the emergency room, according to Pregnancy Help News.

There are thousands of local, independent pharmacies across the country, including the ones in your neighborhood. You can easily find out if they’re profiting from the sale of abortion pills. It’s as simple as asking. ”Do you carry abortion pills?” Instead of focusing on the negative -- “we’re boycotting pharmacies that carry abortion drugs” -- promote the alternative -- “We want to applaud and promote stores that intentionally choose not carry the abortion drug.”

Creating a list of area pharmacies that won’t sell abortion pills is a simple pro-life effort for parish or local pro life groups that can be distributed at meetings, churches, to those praying at abortion centers, and by email.

Catholic Health pharmacies don't carry abortion drugs. They're usually located in Catholic hospitals, but you don't have to be staying in the hospital to get your meds there.

Image: Public Domain