After the Supreme Court revoked the constitutional right of an abortion, national pharmacy chains CVS or Rite Aid have rescinded their ability to sell emergency contraceptive tablets.
CVS announced Monday that it will temporarily limit purchases of morning-after pill to three boxes per transaction in order to prevent a shortage after Friday’s landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.
The drugstore chain stated that it has a large supply of Plan B and Aftera. These products can be used by women to prevent pregnancy following unprotected sexual activity or if birth control fails.
CVS stated in a statement that the temporary purchase limit for these products was three boxes. This is to ensure equal access and consistent supply.
These emergency contraceptives work by delaying or stopping ovulation. They are meant to be used as a backup method for birth control. These drugs are different from abortion drugs which can end pregnancies. Aftera is $39.99, while Plan B costs $49.99 per pill.
Rite Aid has also restricted the purchase of emergency contraceptives such as Plan B and Option 2 brand pills. According to Rite Aid’s website, customers can order only three pills.
Walgreens, another large drugstore chain, stated that it does not intend to restrict the sale of morning-after pill sales. Walgreens.com has sold out Plan B pills, but they are still available in certain stores.
A spokeswoman for Walgreens stated that Walgreens was still able meet customer demand in-store. “At the moment, we are working on restocking online inventory for ship to-home.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Walmart was limiting morning-after pill sales to just four or six, depending on whether orders are to be delivered by end of month. However, it is not limiting sales for orders shipped in July. AFP reached out to the company for clarification but they did not immediately respond.
–With reporting by Megan Cerullo, CBS News