Amazon is limiting purchases of Plan B 'morning-after' pills to 3 units a week amid a spike in demand after the overturn of Roe v Wade

• Amazon said it will limit purchases of Plan B to only three per customer each week to prevent shortages
• Other retailers like Rite Aid also have placed purchase limits on emergency contraceptives

Amazon said it is temporarily capping purchases of the emergency contraceptive Plan B pill as demand surges, the company confirmed to Insider.

The e-commerce giant will now limit customers to only 3 "morning-after" pills per week to prevent shortages after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, effectively outlawing abortion in several US states.

Amazon joins a growing list of drug retailers placing purchase limits on over-the-counter contraceptives this week; Rite Aid and CVS confirmed to Insider that both stores would also only allow up to 3 pills per customer, though CVS announced late Tuesday that it was lifting purchase restrictions as sales have "returned to normal."

Walgreens does not limit the number of Plan B pills that customers can purchase. A Walgreens spokesperson confirmed to Insider that the company can still meet its in-store demand.

The Supreme Court's decision to overturn its 1973 Roe v Wade decision on abortion rights has triggered laws in many states that either outright ban the procedure or seriously curtail it.

Amazon has not placed the same restrictions on generic versions of Plan B. Customers can purchase up to 30 units of another emergency contraceptive called My Choice.

CNBC noted in a report on Tuesday, citing the Kaiser Family Foundation, that emergency contraceptive pills like Plan B are different from "medication abortion" drugs, which call for 2 pills to be taken within 10 weeks of conception and require a prescription.