Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed a new law last Friday that is the first of its kind. The law categorizes two drugs used for abortion, mifepristone and misoprostol, as controlled and dangerous substances. This decision came after the bill passed the state Senate.
These medications are commonly used for medication abortions, the most prevalent type of abortion in the U.S. Many doctors opposed the law, arguing that mifepristone and misoprostol have other important medical uses in reproductive health care. They fear that the new classification could make it more difficult to prescribe these drugs.
Supporters of the law argue that it will protect pregnant women from being forced into having abortions against their will. They mentioned one case in Texas where this allegedly happened.
Another person drops off the vote (Via Austin Black/Shutterstock)
This bill passed while abortion opponents are awaiting a final decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on a case that could restrict access to mifepristone. The law is set to go into effect on October 1.
Originally, the bill aimed to create a new crime called “coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud.” However, an amendment proposed by Senator [name] added the abortion drugs to Louisiana’s Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law under Schedule IV.
