CVS Health is asking pharmacists in some states, including Arkansas, to verify that a few of the prescriptions they provide will not be used end a pregnancy.
A spokesman said Thursday that the drugstore chain recently started doing this for methotrexate and misoprostol, two drugs used in medication abortions but also to treat other conditions.
According to the Mayo Clinic, methotrexate, which is marketed under the brand names Rheumatrex and Trexall, is also used to treat various cancers of the breast, head and neck, lungs, blood, bone, lymph nodes and uterus. Misoprostol is used to treat or to prevent stomach ulcers. It is marketed under the brand name Cytotec.
CVS spokesman Mike DeAngelis told the Associated Press the policy started the first week in July in Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Texas.
The drugstore chain's request comes after the U.S. Supreme Court last month overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion. The ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.
DeAngelis said state laws that restrict the dispensing of medications used for abortions have forced the company to start the validations. He noted that some of the laws come with criminal penalties.
CVS, which is based in Woonsocket, R.I., is asking care providers to help by including their diagnosis on the prescriptions.
DeAngelis said CVS Health will still fill prescriptions for miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies, which grow outside the womb and are not viable.
"We will continue to focus on delivering care to our patients while complying with state laws and federal guidance that continues to evolve," DeAngelis said in an email.
Attempts to obtain information regarding how many patients may have been turned down in Arkansas since the policy went into effect were unsuccessful. Local CVS pharmacies, citing corporate policy, referred questions to the CVS corporate office, which said any information regarding the denial of prescriptions would be contained in a patient's individual records and could not be disclosed due to confidentiality laws.
The Supreme Court decision has put pharmacies in the middle of an intense national debate. Earlier this month, the Biden administration warned pharmacies not to discriminate against women over the prescriptions they seek.
Holly Dickson, executive director of ACLU of Arkansas, said the policy infringes on the rights of patients.
"This is occurring due to hypercaution about abortion bans and is a foretold consequence of the political policing of our lives we've been experiencing and opposing all along," Dickson said in a text message to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Amanda Priest, a spokesperson for Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, said the attorney general applauds the policy.
"Attorney General Rutledge is pleased to learn that private companies are taking steps to ensure compliance with Arkansas Law," Priest said in a text message.
Information for this article was contributed by Dale Ellis of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.