US pharmacies reportedly set purchase limit on emergency contraception pills

theguardian.com:

Pharmacy companies such as Walmart, CVS and Rite Aid are reportedly putting a cap on the number of morning-after birth control pills each consumer can buy in the US, in the wake of the supreme court’s decision overturning Roe v Wade.

Meanwhile, online shopping giant Amazon has placed a temporary purchase limit of three units a week on emergency contraception pills, the company said.

Walmart put a cap of four or six units of their morning-after pills for orders scheduled for delivery through the end of the month, but no such caps exist for deliveries beginning in July.

A Walmart representative said, “during times of fluctuating demand” their limits for online purchases change. They did not clarify whether this is specifically for the morning-after pills.

Rite Aid has also said they are putting a limit of three per customer for the two brands Plan B and Option 2.

CVS said it had implemented a temporary purchase limit of three on emergency contraception pills Plan B and Aftera. “Immediately following the supreme court decision, we saw a sharp increase in the sale of emergency contraceptives and implemented a temporary purchase limit to ensure equitable access,” said Matt Blanchette, CVS spokesperson.

He said the company is in the process of removing the limits as sales have “since returned to normal”. He added: “We continue to have ample supply of emergency contraceptives to meet customer needs.”

Meanwhile, Walgreens said in a statement that they don’t have any such limits at the time. “Walgreens is still able to meet demand in-store, including leveraging digital-first solutions like curbside pickup. At this time, we are working to restock online inventory for ship-to-home,” the statement said.

But many in the US are stockpiling.