Following the Roe v. Wade overruling by the Supreme Court, Amazon has now joined other businesses that have imposed limits on the number of emergency contraceptives a customer can buy.
The limit that Amazon has put essentially restricts the purchase of contraceptives to three units a week. This went into effect on Monday, 27th June, a spokesperson for the company confirmed.
While Amazon did not share any more details about which all emergency contraceptives this restriction might apply to, a listing displayed the cap applied to Plan B, the popular “morning after” pill.
Rite Aid, a national network of pharmacies, also implemented a similar rule on Monday, limiting Plan B purchases to three units per customer as a result of rising demand, according to a company representative. The restriction is valid for both in-person and online transactions.
Using abortion pills to end a pregnancy is different from using emergency contraception. Plan B, which is available over-the-counter, provides a concentrated form of the same medication that is present in many regular birth control pills. If taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, Plan B works on reducing the risk of pregnancy.
Emergency contraception has faced attacks from those who oppose abortion because of their belief that life begins when an egg is fertilized. The federally approved label says that it may prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb.
A major hospital chain in Missouri has halted the sale of Plan B due to the uncertainty regarding the rules– whether they could be subjected to criminal charges for providing the pill or not. However, on Wednesday, 29th June, St. Luke’s Health Kansas City said that they would continue to provide the medicine.
Walmart has limited online orders for Plan B to 10 units
Limiting purchases by retailers is a common technique that aids in preventing stockpiling and reselling at a profit.
Neil Saunders, the managing director at GlobalData Retail said– “retailers are being cautious. They are trying to manage it. But I don’t there are chronic shortages.”
Walmart, Amazon’s main rival, has limited online orders for Plan B to 10 units, but it’s not clear when this restriction first took effect. At the moment, the retailer has no in-store limits, although management could alter things based on demand to help maintain availability.
A Walmart spokesperson said, “Many of our products have online purchase limits in place. During times of fluctuating demand, these limits may change.”
In the meantime, CVS Health said that it has eliminated its own emergency contraception caps after putting in place a temporary cap in response to Friday’s high court decision. The company claimed that after a “sharp rise” in sales, which have subsequently leveled off, it has been attempting to maintain access to the products.
“We continue to have ample supply of emergency contraceptives to meet customer needs,” CVS Health spokesperson Matthew Blanchette stated.
Walgreens, the pharmacy chain, is still able to meet its demand for in-store purchases and curbside pickup of the over-the-counter emergency contraceptives. However, company spokeswoman Emily Mekstan noted that due to an increase in demand, the company is refilling its ship-to-home business. CVS Health and Walgreens are the two largest U.S. drugstore chains. Together, they run almost 19,000 locations.
Target and Kroger spokespeople said they have no information to provide regarding prospective restrictions on contraceptive purchases.
