Wal-Mart has been ordered to stock the emergency contraception drug known as the “morning after pill” by the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy, after a unanimous vote by board members yesterday.
Two weeks ago, three women, two of them known activists for emergency contraception, staged a lawsuit against the company after they were unable to purchase the drug from three Massachusetts stores.
Wal-Mart only offers the pill in the state of Illinois, where it is required under state law. The company has said it “chooses not to carry many products for business reasons,” and gave poor sales demand as the reason for not supplying the drug.
The company declared it would comply with whatever decision was reached by the board.
Samuel Perkins, attorney for Katrina McCarty, Julie Battel and Rebekah Gee, has said his clients will proceed with the lawsuit against Wal-Mart in order to attempt to regain attorney fees and court costs, the Boston Globe reported.
The women will file additional suits in other states if Wal-Mart does not change store policy in all states to supply the drug, Perkins said at a news conference.
Gee, a doctor, and nurse and midwife Battel have been active promoters of emergency contraception, pushing for the passage of Massachusetts Bill 1643 which became law late last year, allowing women to obtain Plan B medication without first seeing their doctor.
(This article courtesy of LifeSiteNews.com.)
