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Mifepristone and misoprostol abortion pills.
CNN
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Louisiana’s Republican governor, Jeff Landry, on Friday signed a bill classifying the abortion-inducing drugs misoprostol and mifepristone as Schedule IV controlled dangerous substances, the first law to place them in the same category as narcotics and sedatives.
“Requiring abortion-inducing pills to be available without a prescription and making it a crime to administer abortion to unsuspecting mothers makes perfect common sense,” Landry said in a statement on X. “This bill will protect women across Louisiana, and I am proud to have signed this bill into law today.”
The law, signed by the governor, makes it a crime to possess abortion pills without a prescription and to provide the pills without the individual’s consent.
Supporters of the bill say it would protect pregnant women, but hundreds of health care workers in the state oppose the reclassification, warning it could create a false sense of safety about the drugs and prevent people from getting the care they need. Louisiana already bans abortions in cases of rape or incest, with no exceptions, but mifepristone and misopristol have other medical uses, such as treating abortions.
Anyone found in possession of these drugs without a valid prescription can be charged with a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. Pregnant women who possess mifepristone and misoprostol for their own consumption are exempt from these penalties. Doctors in Louisiana are also permitted by law to prescribe these drugs.
In Louisiana, if you are convicted of selling or possessing with intent to sell a Schedule IV drug, you face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
In a medical abortion, mifepristone blocks progesterone, a hormone needed to maintain pregnancy. Within 24 to 48 hours, misoprostol is then taken, which causes the uterus to contract, resulting in cramps and bleeding. It is approved for other uses, including preventing stomach ulcers, and the drug has been available over the counter for decades..
As the bill made its way through the state Legislature, critics argued that mifepristone and misoprostol are not dangerous and do not require the same level of regulation as Schedule IV substances.
About 270 Louisiana physicians, health care workers and medical students signed a letter to the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Thomas Pressley, expressing their concerns about the reclassification, arguing that “neither mifepristone nor misoprostol have demonstrated a potential for abuse, dependence, public health risks, or high rates of side effects.”
Pressley proposed the bill after alleging that his sister was given misoprostol against her will, and argues that the bill would not prevent the prescription or dispensing of the drug for “legitimate reasons.”
“The physicians I have consulted with feel that this provision will not adversely affect women’s medical care,” Pressley, a Republican, said in response to the letter.
CNN has reached out to the governor’s office and Pressley’s office for comment.
Medication abortions, which account for the majority of abortions performed in the United States, have become a national political issue following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. The Supreme Court is currently hearing a key case challenging the FDA’s approval of the drug mifepristone, and is expected to rule by July.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Diane Gallagher, Sean Nottingham and John Bonifield contributed to this report.
