Louisiana House moves to make abortion-inducing pills controlled dangerous substances
BATON ROUGE La. (BRPROUD) - The Louisiana House has given the go-ahead to classify two drugs that could induce abortions as controlled substances. The two pills, mifepristone and misoprostol, are commonly used in reproductive health care and have gained popularity in states like Louisiana that have a near-total ban on abortions.
They can be used to end a pregnancy up to ten weeks of gestation. There are several other reasons why a woman may need the drugs such as cases of post-hemorrhage, miscarriages, inducing labor and more.
An amendment was added to SB276 that would change the classification of the two pills to Schedule IV. This would mean it is illegal for someone to knowingly possess the drugs and could face up to five years in prison. The bill carves out protections for pregnant women who have the drug for their own consumption.
It is already a crime in Louisiana to be given medication to induce an abortion and it is illegal to mail the drugs to someone in the state.
It could make it illegal for women who have them but are not planning to take them right away. Louisiana has banned all abortions except in the cases when the fetus is found to be “medically futile” or there is a risk to the mother’s life.
Moving the drugs into Schedule IV will also make it easier to track who is prescribing the drugs and the personal information of those who are getting the pills. This is done through the Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs. Doctors will need a DEA license to prescribe the drugs as well according to House debate.
Legislators against the bill said their main concern about the amendments is that being in Schedule IV could cause major delays in getting the medication to women who need it. They said rural areas would be particularly impacted.
The bill started out as a personal story for state Sen. Thomas Pressly, R-Shreveport, who brought his sister to testify about her husband slipping the abortion-inducing drug into cups of water to force her to end her pregnancy.
Catherine Pressly Herring was able to get emergency treatment after the first time drinking the spiked water and her daughter Josephine survived but now deals with health effects because of the ordeal.
“I share my story because no one should have abortion pills weaponized against them,” Herring said in an April hearing. “Josephine is alive today because I stopped drinking the drinks that the person whom I loved and trusted the most in the world gave to me in a wicked act of deception.”
The amendment was added on in a House committee at the last minute and was put together by Louisiana’s powerful anti-abortion group, Louisiana Right to Life.
State Rep. Aimee Freeman, D-New Orleans, said she is frustrated with LA Right to Life pushing legislators on healthcare decisions. Freeman represents many of the major hospitals in New Orleans.
"50th in health outcomes is not pro-life," Freeman said.
More than 200 doctors penned a letter to Pressly against the amendment, saying the drugs have no signs of being a public health risk and are safe for miscarriage treatment. They said this amendment would make it harder for women to get medically safe treatments.
“I recognize that there are legitimate medical uses other than elective abortion for these drugs. Louisiana law is clear that if abortion-inducing drugs are used for purposes other than elective abortion, they are legal for use. The medical community is well-versed with using controlled substances in the course of their medical practice,” Pressly said in a statement reported by The Hill.
Louisiana is the first state to change the schedules of the two drugs, and other states will likely follow its lead.
The bill now heads back to the Senate to approve the amendments made by the House before it can be sent to the governor’s desk for signature.