The hashtag "BoycottWalgreens" has flooded social media after a customer took to Twitter earlier this month, alleging a Walgreens worker refused to sell condoms because of religious reasons.
The Minnesota residents, Nate Pentz and Jessica Pentz, were traveling in Wisconsin over the July Fourth weekend when they attempted to buy condoms from a Walgreens, according to the Star Tribune. Mr. Pentz's viral tweet about the alleged incident said the cashier, who he names as John, said, "We can [sell condoms], but I won't because of my faith."
There has been a rise in reports of restricted access to other reproductive products, such as Plan B and medication abortion pills, over the last few weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, causing pharmacists to worry about facing lawsuits for filling prescriptions. The HHS warned retail pharmacies on July 13 that denying access to products related to pregnancy is discriminatory.
Mr. Pentz's viral Twitter thread sent a flurry of tweets calling to boycott the retail pharmacy chain. One person wrote, "My $24,000+ a year in prescriptions for the past 4 years will be going elsewhere," and political grassroots operation Occupy Democrats tweeted about the issue July 18, calling the incident "religious bigotry."
Walgreens did not immediately respond to Becker's requests for comment, but the organization told the Tribune, "Our company policy allows team members to step away from completing a transaction to which they have a moral objection and refer the transaction to a fellow team member or manager who will complete the customer's request."