The internet’s largest marketplace, Amazon.com, has decided to place temporary ration the sale of emergency contraceptive pills, allowing customers to purchase only three units per week, the company told Reuters. 

The company is the latest of online and offline pharmaceutical retailers to place such a restriction. The move comes less than a week after the American Supreme Court overturned the contentious Roe v. Wade ruling from 1973 that guaranteed abortion as a constitutional right. 

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With the ruling, many women in the country with unwanted pregnancies now have limited options. They must either travel to a state where the procedure is legal, order their abortion pills online, or risk a potentially life-threatening illegal abortion. Since the ruling was made, there has been a marked spike in the demand for over-the-counter emergency contraceptives. Pills like Plan B and Aftera are supposed to be taken as soon as possible should a person feel that they run the risk of becoming pregnant. 

Earlier this week, pharmaceutical retailers CVS and Rite Aid had placed purchasing limits on their own stocks of emergency contraceptive pills. The two companies had both decided to limit purchases to three pills per customer. 

Also Read: US pharma retailers ration contraceptive pills after Roe v Wade overturned

CVS  had said that they had placed the curbs in a bid to maintain supply and equitable distribution for all. However, CVS said on Tuesday that it is on track to roll back the purchasing limits in the next 24 hours. Walgreens, another pharmaceutical retailer, said that they had no plans to limit the sales of Plan B pills at their outlets.

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Since the ruling came out on Friday, June 24, 2022, protests have erupted across different state capitals. Prior to this, a draft of the Supreme Court’s decision leaked online in May, prompting a spike in online searches for emergency contraceptives as well as an increase in appointments for intrauterine devices.