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Wal-Mart Bows to Abortion Zealots on Plan-B

by Hilary White

BENTONVILLE, March 6, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The US-based superstore chain Wal-Mart, has capitulated to pressure from pro-abortion  groups and announced that it will be carrying the abortifacient “emergency contraceptive” marketed as “Plan-B.” Wal-Mart, which has 3700 pharmacies across the US, was the only chain to refuse to carry the drug that causes a very early-term abortion, only selling it in Illinois where it is required by state law.

A Wal-Mart media release announced March 3, that the morning after pill will be sold in all its US outlets by March 20. The announcement came after the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy voted unanimously to order Wal-Mart to carry the drug. The company was hit with a lawsuit by activists pushing for the wider distribution of the morning after pill.

Some Wal-Mart pharmacists had refused to dispense the drug for moral reasons. The company said it would abide by the board’s decision and would require conscientious objectors among its staff pharmacists to refer clients who want the drug to another pharmacist.

The decision also follows threats from Connecticut Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal, who said he would halt insurance coverage at Wal-Mart’s pharmacies for Connecticut's state employees if the company did not bow to pressure.

Blumenthal has vowed to press Wal-Mart for a “clarification” on its conscientious objection policy.

Despite the insistence of much of the medical community that “emergency contraceptives” do not result in abortions, NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, were among the most vociferous critics of Wal-Mart’s refusal to carry Plan-B.

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice, praised Wal-Mart's move as "a great step forward for women in this country." She said the company's decision to let pharmacists opt out of filling Plan B prescriptions "really does leave the door open for women to lose access.”

Contact Wal-Mart with concerns:
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Bentonville, Arkansas USA,
72716-8611.

1-800-925-6278

Feedback page on Wal-Mart’s website:
http://walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=221

Read previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Wal-Mart Ordered to Carry Abortifacient Morning After Pill
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/feb/06021505.html

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