Boots has been accused of ‘capitulating’ to pressure from radical feminists after it agreed to look at reducing the price of the morning-after pill in its pharmacies.
The high street chemist’s chief pharmacist, Marc Donovan, had resisted calls to make the abortifacient drug cheaper, saying it would ‘incentivise inappropriate use’.
But after a furious backlash by abortion giant BPAS and dozens of Labour MPs, Boots said it was “truly sorry” for its “poor choice of words” and agreed to look at cheaper alternatives.
Pressure
Currently, Boots charges between £26.75 and £28.25 for the morning-after pill while competitors Tesco and Superdrug charge £13.50 and £13.49 respectively.
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) launched an attack on Boots via Twitter last week, urging its followers to complain by email.
More than 30 female Labour MPs, including former leader Harriet Harman and former shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, also wrote a letter to the chemist, demanding that it lowers the price.
The MPs claimed that it is “completely unacceptable” that British women are required to pay up to £30 for the pill, which they deemed vital “back-up contraception”.
‘Legitimate concerns’
Last night, Dr Peter Saunders, CEO of the Christian Medical Fellowship, hit out at Boots for failing to endorse the “legitimate” concerns of its chief pharmacist.
Saunders told the Daily Mail: “It is regrettable that Boots has capitulated in the face of political pressure and failed to support its chief UK pharmacist in his legitimate concerns”.
“By appeasing this cartel of radical feminist MPs Boots is encouraging more reckless sexual behaviour and thereby exposing young people to an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections.”
Learn more
The morning-after pill is an abortifacient, which can end a pregnancy by causing an early-stage abortion.
To learn more about it and biblical teaching on abortion, download our briefing.