meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
KCRW's Left, Right & Center

Can private companies no longer avoid political fights?

KCRW's Left, Right & Center

KCRW

352865, News

4.24.8K Ratings

🗓️ 17 March 2023

⏱️ 52 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The debate over abortion rights has entered a new phase. Last year’s Supreme Court decision to strike down the federal right to the health procedure and leave it up to states is now playing out with private companies.

The country’s second-largest pharmacy chain, Walgreens, is facing criticism from both sides of the aisle after announcing it would not ship or sell mifepristone in 21 states. The medication is used to terminate a pregnancy or treat a miscarriage.

This came after Republican attorneys general threatened legal action if the pharmacy didn’t stop selling the medication. However, abortion is still legal in a few of the states on that list such as Alaska, Kansas and Montana.

Then, California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state was cutting ties with Walgreens and its $54 million contract. He claimed the pharmacy caved to pressure from the right.

Can big companies no longer stay out of these polarizing debates?

Host David Greene discusses with Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, and Sarah Isgur, senior editor at The Dispatch.

Plus, while the Supreme Court was once considered a major polarizing force, its perception with Americans is improving.

A Marquette Law School poll from January found that 47% of respondents approve of the Supreme Court, up from 38% last July when the court struck down Roe v Wade. And surprisingly, the rise is mostly among Democrats. Can the court continue boosting its standing?

Special guest Charles Franklin, pollster and director of the Marquette Law School, weighs in on restoring faith in the High Court.

And Stanford Law School’s invitation to a controversial federal judge ended up a complete mess. Before he could start his speech, hecklers interrupted the event and even a school administrator questioned if allowing his talk was worth it.

How can universities ensure a public speaker and dissenters can have their voices heard? And where do we draw the line between free speech and hate speech?

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Support for this podcast comes from Wise, the account that lets you send, spend, and receive

0:04.7

money internationally.

0:06.2

50 currencies, 170 countries, one account designed to take on the world.

0:11.1

So whether you're taking on Rio or Rome, Miami or Mumbai, you'll always get the mid-market

0:16.1

exchange rate when you convert currencies with no markups and no hidden fees.

0:20.7

Wise helps you save money no matter where you're going next.

0:23.7

Join 15 million people and businesses who are going global with Wise.

0:28.1

Learn how the Wise account could work for you by downloading the app or visiting Wise.com

0:33.0

slash LRC.

0:35.1

Hey everybody, this is David Green.

0:37.1

I'm the co-founder of Fearless Media and your host here on Left, Right, and Center.

0:41.6

So the country's second largest pharmacy chain, Walgreens, is quickly learning how hard it

0:48.1

can be to strike a political balance when it comes to the issue of abortion.

0:52.0

Walgreens has gotten criticism and calls for boycotts from both sides of the aisle.

0:57.7

After announcing it would not sell or ship Mifapristone in 21 states.

1:02.9

This medication is used to terminate a pregnancy or to treat a miscarriage.

1:07.2

The company said this decision came after Republican attorneys general threatened legal action

1:13.2

if the pharmacy didn't stop selling the medication.

1:15.6

But abortion is still actually legal in a few of the states on that list.

1:20.1

States like Alaska, Montana, Kansas.

1:23.0

And this of course made people angry who support the right to an abortion on the left.

1:26.3

Some activists are calling for a national boycott of Walgreens.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KCRW, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KCRW and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.