Boots ‘caves in to the Labour radicals’ in morning after pill row
BOOTS was criticised last night for ‘capitulating in the face of political pressure’ over the cost of the morning after pill.
The high-street chemist originally defied calls to slash the price of emergency contraception – with its chief pharmacist saying it did not want to ‘incentivise inappropriate use’.
But late on Friday night Boots released a statement to say it was ‘truly sorry’ about its ‘poor choice of words’, and was looking at cheaper alternatives.
The climb- down came after a campaign led by abortion provider BPAS and supported by female Labour MPs, two of whom backed calls for women to boycott the store over its stance.
Last night the Christian Medical Fellowship said Boots had given in to a ‘cartel of radical feminist MPs’ – and now risked encouraging a rise in sexually transmitted diseases.
Spokesman Dr Peter Saunders said Boots had ‘failed to support’ chief pharmacist, Marc Donovan, who had put forward ‘legitimate’ concerns about overuse of the pill. Having forced Boots to back down, BPAS is now understood to be turning its fire on Lloyds Pharmacy, which has also refused to cut the cost of contraception.
BPAS said the chain was selling a non-branded version of the pill for £28.25, more than double that charged by other outlets.
While Tesco and Superdrug agreed to halve the cost of the Levonelle pill, Boots originally refused to do so.
The chain said it would continue to charge £28.25 for the contraception, with Mr Donovan saying it polarised public opinion and many felt the store should not supply it at all.
He said: ‘We would not want to be accused of incentivising inappropriate use, and provoking complaints, by significantly reducing the price.’ The stance angered female 35 Labour MPs, who wrote to Boots to demand a change of course, calling the pill vital ‘backup contraception’. Two of them urged women to ‘vote with their feet’ and boycott Boots – prompting pro-life campaigners to accuse them of ‘bullying’.
On Friday night, Boots apologised for its previous position.
It said: ‘We are truly sorry that our poor choice of words in describing our position on emer- gency hormonal contraception (EHC) has caused offence.’
The chain said its price was based on the cost of the tablet and the consultation a pharmacarries out with women, but that it is ‘ committed’ to finding less expensive versions.
Boots charges £28.25 for Levonelle and £26.75 for its own version, while Tesco charges £13.50 for Levonelle and Superdrug £13.49 for a generic product.
A Boots spokesman said: ‘We firmly believe in the right of all women to access the EHC service with ease and convenience.
‘We are committed to looking at the sourcing of less expensive EHC medicines ... to enable us to continue to make a privately funded EHC service even more accessible in the future.’
Last night Dr Saunders said: ‘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 over incentivising the inappropriate use of emergency contraception.
‘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.’