GUEST POST: California may be in the middle of a horrifying crime wave, a growing homelessness crisis, blatant government overreach and abuse, and an exodus of citizens seeking saner and more just state policies, but the governor sure does loves abortion. That appears to be Gavin Newsom’s pitch for the Golden State and his still possible bid for the Democrat presidential nomination: The state may be going down in flames, but you can kill your preborn baby there.  

The latest showing of the Newsom’s abortion radicalism came with his demand that Walgreens pharmacies break the laws of 21 other states or lose the business of California lawbreakers. In a story that is stranger than fiction, Newsom tweeted last week, “California won’t be doing business with @walgreens— or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts women’s lives at risk. We’re done.” 

Newsom’s temper tantrum involves Walgreens’ announcement that the pharmacy chain will administer Chemical Abortion Pills in states where the lethal practice recently became legal under updated federal regulations. Students for Life of America is protesting the dangerous policy change that has suddenly transformed your neighborhood drug store into an abortion business. Of course, that is not Newsom’s issue with the policy change. He thinks there is still not enough abortion.  

Newsom pulled the plug on a large contract between the state of California and Walgreens, which has for years given the pharmacy the ability to supply drugs for the state’s prisons. In other words, Newsom is demanding that Walgreens start break the law or lose the business of California’s lawbreakers. 

Because California Walgreens will become abortion businesses, Newsom seems to think that all Walgreens should be bullied into handing out Chemical Abortion Pills. Even in states that are protecting the lives of preborn babies and banning abortion. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs v. Jackson decision last year, states rightly have a much broader ability to protect innocent preborn children from the violent death of abortion.  

Ignoring the laws of other states, Newsom demanded that Walgreens important California-style abortion extremism and administer Chemical Abortion Pills everywhere. In truly disturbing double-speak, Newsom calls pro-life states “extremists” and claims that not handing out Chemical Abortion Pills “puts women’s lives at risk.”  

The opposite is true. Newsom is clearly the extremist, and states protecting preborn lives have broad public support. We know that Chemical Abortion Pills, by design, end the lives of preborn children. They also carry risks to women’s health and safety, the severity and magnitude of which remain unknown. The seriousness of the risks of Chemical Abortion Pills  

Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins noted, “Given the financial toll that mishandling opioids has cost Walgreens, it’s surprising that they want to engage in pushing Chemical Abortion Pills in ways known to expose women to injury, infertility, death, and abusers. That sounds like another set of lawsuits.” Handing out Chemical Abortion Pills with no oversight is not empowering to women and kills people. 

The editorial board of the Wall Street Journal mocked “President Newsom” for his comical overreach, adding, “Businesses make themselves targets when they take positions on political issues, but they don’t deserve to be attacked for trying to comply with state and federal laws. This distinction is lost on Mr. Newsom, who wants to impose California’s values on the rest of America.” 

The saddest part of Newsom’s publicity stunt is that it just might work with radical abortion activists. Newsom has tried this strategy before supporting radical expansion of elective abortion (now advertised as “all-trimester” in California). These moves seem carefully calibrated to distract from his abysmal record as the governor of a failing state. With massive blunders (like partying maskless at a high-end establishment while unleashing some of the most draconian restrictions on his own residents during Covid lockdowns), Newsom knows that he can make a splash with pro-abortion theatrics and continue to win among abortion activists, the real extremists. No matter how bad it gets, government-funded, totally unrestricted abortion wins votes from the abortion lobby. 

While Newsom is playing coy about whether he will run for president in 2024, his abortion agenda is clearly aimed to display national ambition. In a move as comical as it was lacking in self-awareness, Newsom blasted pro-life states with billboards advertising California abortions. The Red States Newsom targeted are the states with low crime, strong economies, and strong, pro-family policies attracting many of the people fleeing California.  

The message seems to be that these states may have everything needed for health and prosperity, but if you want to kill the future by ending the lives of preborn babies, Newsom is your man! 

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