Wal-Mart says it may begin stocking the emergency contraception pill Plan B in all of its stores, following a pharmacy board ruling that it must do so in its 44 Massachusetts pharmacies. Illinois already requires it to stock the pill.
Plan B is a high dose of hormones that women can take three to five days after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy.
Three Massachusetts women sued Wal-Mart for not carrying the pill, leading to the Board of Pharmacy's decision.
The decision was applauded by NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, a reproductive health advocacy group that supports abortion rights but says Plan B is a contraception issue, not one of abortion.
NARAL and the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts have been urging Wal-Mart to change its Plan B policy for months.
Marie Sturgis, the executive director of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, an opponent of abortion, was critical. Sturgis said Citizens for Life opposes Plan B because it's a "chemical abortion" and because its long-term health effects are unknown.
In making its decision, the pharmacy board cited a regulation requiring all pharmacies to dispense "commonly prescribed medications in accordance with the usual needs of the community."
Wal-Mart had said it thought it was in compliance with the regulation, but would "gladly comply" with whatever directive the board issued.
"Women's health is a high priority for Wal-Mart, so clearly, there are broader considerations," a Wal-Mart spokesman said. He said the giant chain was "thinking through" the issue of stocking the pill in more of its stores nationwide.
Wal-Mart operates 3,400 pharmacies nationwide. Unlike Massachusetts, where pharmacies are plentiful, in some communities Wal-Mart is one of a few places where residents can fill prescriptions.
