Liam Conner
Washington – The Louisiana House on Tuesday approved legislation that would classify drugs used in medication abortions as controlled substances, criminalizing possession of the drugs without a prescription.
The bill passed 64 votes to 29 in the GOP-controlled state House, and if signed into law, Louisiana would become the first state to classify misoprostol and mifepristone — the two drugs used in a regimen to terminate pregnancies in early stage – such as controlled substances. .
Controlled substance designation typically occurs when a drug is considered addictive, such as opioids or depressants. It also allows states to track medications and create a database of who receives them, and makes it a crime to possess the medication without a prescription. According to legislation, pregnant women are exempt from prosecution.
The two-drug regimen is responsible for well over half of all abortions in the U.S., making it a target for abortion opponents and a key avenue of access for those who support abortion rights. Mifepristone in particular, which was approved by the FDA in 2000, has been under attack in recent years. O Supreme Court is considering a case This term refers to the rules regarding the use of the drug.
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The medications are also used outside of abortion, for other care, such as managing miscarriages. Ellie Schilling, a Louisiana lawyer who specializes in reproductive health law, told reporters on a Biden-Harris campaign press call on Wednesday that the bill would make it “incredibly difficult” to use the drugs for medically necessary purposes and would lead to the government monitoring pregnant women and those who prescribe the medication.
“The State of Louisiana would effectively create a prescription database for every woman prescribed mifepristone and misoprostol, regardless of reason, truly monitoring women and their pregnancies,” Schilling said. “This should be unimaginable in America.”
Although abortion is already prohibited in Louisiana in most circumstances except when it is considered necessary to avoid the risk of death to the mother or when the pregnancy is “medically futile,” the legislation could be a model for other states to target the medication. commonly used in early stage pregnancies.
“Women in Louisiana are one step closer to living in a world where they can be monitored and tracked and even sent to prison for only carrying FDA-approved medications,” said Mitch Landrieu, former New Orleans mayor and co- Biden campaign chairman. chair. “What’s happening here in Louisiana is just one example of this dystopian agenda that Trump and his allies are pushing.”
Aaron Navarro contributed reporting.
