Several leading chains have agreed to cut the price – but Boots said it will not because it doesn’t want to be open to criticism by encouraging women to use of the last-chance contraception.
It also said it wanted to avoid upsetting people who don’t think it should sell emergency contraception at all.
“Since we launched the Just Say Non campaign to call on the major retailers to drop the price of emergency contraception, Superdrug and Tesco have both halved their prices to around £13″.
Health campaigners said the extra cost amounted to a “sexist surcharge” with the pill costing up to five times more in the United Kingdom than other parts of Europe.
The Levonelle brand costs £28.25 in Boots, while a non-branded version of the drug costs £26.75.
Competitor Superdrug and supermarket giant Tesco have both reduced the cost of the hormone tablet from almost £30 to £13.
The store said: “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”.
Boots had been condemned by Labour MPs for its “unacceptable” moral position.
The company later issued another statement, stating regret that its previous response had “caused offence and misunderstanding”.
Mr Donovan said he was disappointed by the comments made by BPAS, adding that he believes a healthcare professional should be consulted before the morning after pill is taken and the higher cost covers this.
“We are committed to looking at the sourcing of less expensive EHC medicines, for example generics, to enable us to continue to make a privately funded EHC service even more accessible in the future”.
Morning after pills are most effective when taken in the first few hours after unprotected sex and are available without a prescription in most European Union countries.
On its part, Boots said, the pill will be provided “for free in over 1,700 of our pharmacies, and we continue to urge the NHS to extend this free service more widely”.
In Scotland and Wales, the emergency contraceptive pill is available free of charge on the NHS from pharmacies, Global Positioning System and sexual health clinics.