CVS, Amazon Limit Purchases Of Plan B To Avoid Shortage In CA

CALIFORNIA — Some drug store chains in California and across the nation are limiting purchases on emergency contraception to avoid a shortage after demand increased following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe. v. Wade, according to multiple reports.

CVS, Amazon and Rite Aid are limiting purchases of Plan B contraceptive pills to three per customer, the chains reported.

“Due to increased demand, at this time we are limiting purchases of Plan B contraceptive pills to three per customer,” Alicja Wojczyk, a spokesperson for Rite Aid told CNN in an email.

READ MORE: Abortion A Constitutional Right? CA Voters To Decide [Survey]

CVS has "ample supply" of Plan B and Aftera — two brands of one step emergency contraceptive pills, but the pharmacy is limiting purchases to three per customer amid increased demand, a spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times.

Both Walgreens and Walmart were not limiting purchases of the medications as of Tuesday afternoon.

Visits to Choix, a Telehealth provider that offers emergency pills and multiple birth control options as well as abortion pills, surged 600 percent on the day of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn the landmark abortion protections case, the New York Times reported. Similarly, sales for the morning-after pills sold online by Stix spiked as well, with 72 percent of customers stocking up on multiple doses, Insider reported.

Emergency contraception does not cause abortion, rather the medication can help prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

People can take emergency contraceptive pills up to five days after unprotected sex, but the sooner it is ingested, the more effective they are. IUDs may also be inserted after unprotected sex to be used as emergency contraception.

The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which established the constitutional right to abortion, has ignited a political maelstrom nationwide and has also raised concern that contraceptive access could be targeted next.

Justice Clarence Thomas on Friday called for a revisiting of Griswold v. Connecticut, a landmark case that protected access to contraception and the right to same-sex marriage.

"The time to ring alarm bells is now," Andréa Becker, PhD, medical sociologist and reproductive health researcher at University of California San Francisco, told Insider last week. "The attack on abortion rights is one piece of a broader attack on reproductive health; presently, no one with the capacity to get pregnant has full reproductive autonomy."

In California, where abortion is vehemently backed, lawmakers were working to enshrine the right to abortion in the state.

Golden State lawmakers moved swiftly to advance an amendment that would sew abortion rights into California's constitution.

State voters will decide in November whether to amend the state constitution to shield those seeking abortion and contraception. The proposed constitutional amendment passed with ease through the state Legislature Monday, qualifying it for the general election.

"And we’re not waiting until November to take action, today’s executive order ensures that the state will not hand over patients who come here to receive care and will not extradite doctors who provide care to out-of-state patients here," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "In California, women will remain protected."

Newsom on Friday also signed Assembly Bill 1666 into law, which is expected to protect abortion clinics, volunteers and patients from civil judgments imposed by other states. What's more, the state's proposed budget for next year also includes some $200 million for reproductive health care services.