Amazon is limiting sales of Plan B and other emergency contraceptives to three units per customer due to increased demand, the company confirmed to multiple media outlets. The overturning of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established the constitutional right to abortion across the United States has sparked a surge in sales of Plan B and other brands of levonorgestrel pills.
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Customers who order emergency contraceptive pills on Amazon still have to wait a while to receive them. Amazon’s main listing for Plan B (a popular brand of levonorgestrel made by a company called Foundation Consumer Healthcare) shows an estimated delivery range of July 19 to August 6. MyChoice, a brand of levonorgestrel that’s cheaper than Plan B, shows a delivery date of July 28.
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And Rite-Aid is limiting online and in-person sales of emergency contraception to three per customer. Walmart has a more generous limit of 10 units of Plan B per customer, and Target is limiting online sales of Plan B to six orders per customer. After a temporary cap on sales, both Walgreens and CVS have removed purchase limits on Plan B as of Tuesday afternoon.
"We continue to have ample emergency contraceptives to meet customer needs ," Matt Blanchette, senior director of retail communications at CVS, told CNN .
Those who don’t want to turn to Amazon or a major drugstore chain have other online options for Plan B. Both Instacart and GoPuff offer same-day delivery. Some telehealth startups, such as Wisp, Nurx, and Stix, sell emergency contraceptive pills in general (though sales are limited to certain states). Emergency contraceptive on Wisp increased by 40% after the court’s ruling was leaked in May. And on the day of the court’s ruling, sales were 25 times higher than the daily average for May.
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The Supreme Court on Friday overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established the constitutional right to abortion across the U.S.Many states have begun to impose partial or complete bans on the procedure.
In response, many people urged others to stock up on Plan B in anticipation of potential restrictions on morning-after pills. Others said potential shortages could affect those most in need and urged people to instead fund organizations that help distribute the pills to keep them available.
Information source: engadget.com
