Governor of Louisiana Approves Legislation Designating Two Abortion Drugs as Controlled Substances

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed a groundbreaking bill into law on Friday that classifies two abortion-inducing drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, as controlled and dangerous substances. The legislation, a first of its kind, aims to protect expectant mothers from coerced abortions.

The bill, which will take effect on October 1, requires the drugs to be obtained with a prescription and criminalizes their use on unsuspecting mothers. Supporters argue that the measure is a common-sense approach to preventing coerced abortions, citing a case in Texas where a woman was given misoprostol pills without her knowledge or consent by her husband.

However, opponents, including many physicians, argue that the drugs have other critical reproductive health care uses, such as treating miscarriages, inducing labor, and stopping hemorrhaging. They fear that the reclassification could make it harder for doctors to prescribe the medications and create unnecessary barriers for patients.

The new law will also require doctors to have a specific license to prescribe the drugs and mandate certain storage facilities, potentially limiting access for rural clinics. More than 200 doctors in the state have expressed concerns about the potential impact of the legislation on patient care and outcomes, particularly in a state with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country.

The bill, initially focused on creating a crime of “coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud,” was amended to include the abortion drugs in the Schedule IV classification under the state’s Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law. This move has sparked a debate between those who see it as a necessary protection for pregnant women and those who view it as a restriction on reproductive health care.