A campaign to ‘Boycott Boots’ has been launched by pro-life activists after the High Street chemist caved in to demands to slash the price of the morning after pill (MAP).

And the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) is now urging supporters to take their custom away from their stores until they stop stocking the product.

SPUC, the largest and oldest pro-life organisation in the world, which was formed in 1967, has asked members to blitz Boots bosses with a postcard campaign telling them:
"Stop selling the abortifacient morning after pill and putting women’s health and the lives of their unborn children at risk".

The campaign has been launched after Boots found itself at the centre of a storm over its MAP pricing policy.

Asked by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), one of the UK’s main abortion chains, to explain why its MAP prices were around double that of other stores, Boots chief pharmacist Marc Donovan wrote:

"We would not want to be accused of incentivising inappropriate use, and provoking complaints, by significantly reducing the price of this product."

BPAS reacted angrily and said deliberately setting the price high to prevent women from using the morning after pill regularly was "patronising and insulting". After 35 Labour MPs joined their protest, Boots caved in under pressure, staging a humiliating u-turn and refusing to back Mr Donovan.

Instead, Boots "sincerely" apologised for its "poor choice of words", said it was "truly sorry" and announced plans to source cheaper alternatives.

SPUC spokesperson Dr Anthony McCarthy said:
"Boots’ behaviour has been disgraceful and unprincipled.

"They have caved in the most craven way imaginable to a coalition of campaigners who place no value on the lives of unborn children.

"They deny them the right to life which they cherish for themselves.

"It is reprehensible in the extreme that Boots has capitulated to such pressure, delivering a public slap in the face to their chief pharmacist simply for telling the truth and voicing his legitimate concerns over incentivising the use of the morning after pill.

"This is a policy of appeasement designed to address the clamour of pro-abortionists at BPAS who have been backed by 35 Labour MPs."

SPUC has a long and distinguished record of campaigning against the morning after pill.

Dr Anthony McCarthy, SPUC’s education and research director, said:
"Morning after pills may cause an early abortion, rather than just acting as contraceptives. One of their modes of action may be to prevent the implantation in the womb of a newly-conceived human embryo."
Dr McCarthy added:
"Boots is also encouraging more reckless sexual behaviour and thereby exposing young people to an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections."

A study by Dr Karen Mulligan, associate professor of economics and finance at Middle Tennessee State University, USA. [Wiley Online Library, accessed 20 April] provides clear empirical evidence that access to morning-after pills leads to higher rates of sexually-transmitted infections (STIs)  

Dr David Paton, professor of industrial economics at Nottingham University Business School, is on record as saying in 2015: "Although this paper uses US data, it is consistent with evidence from the UK. In the light of the evidence from this paper, local and national governments urgently need to review their current policy of aggressive promotion of EBC to young people in schools, pharmacies and sexual health centres."

In his letter to BPAS justifying the higher price structure, Mr Donovan stated: "In our experience the subject of emergency hormonal contraception polarises public opinion and we receive frequent contact from individuals who voice their disapproval of the fact that the company chooses to provide this service."

SPUC’s Dr McCarthy said: "Mr Donovan is right to draw attention to the negative public response to morning after pill sales.  I hope that many more people will be making their feelings known after this tawdry debacle.

"Boots should consider the safety of everything it sells and should not be offering - let alone slashing prices on - a drug which is non-therapeutic for the woman or girl and may harm her unborn child.  It is shameful that Boots have bowed to such pressure from an abortion chain. I sincerely hope that Boots may reconsider as they see the grassroots reaction. "

Contact us

For more information, please contact Dr Anthony McCarthy:

• 07883 107358
• asdmccarthy@hotmail.com