On Friday, the governor of Louisiana signed into law a bill that adds two commonly used abortion-inducing medications to the state’s list of controlled dangerous substances.
Louisiana now stands as the sole state to classify mifepristone and misoprostol under Schedule IV of its Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law.
The bill was passed by the Senate on Thursday with a vote of 29-7, and Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, announced his signing of the bill via social media on Friday afternoon.
Landry stated, “This bill protects women across Louisiana.”
Under the legislation, possessing these medications without a valid prescription or medical order can lead to up to five years of imprisonment. However, pregnant individuals acquiring the medications for personal use would not face prosecution, as outlined in the law.
Schedule IV substances include certain narcotics, depressants like Xanax and Valium, muscle relaxants, sleep aids, and stimulants used for treating ADHD and weight loss. This move has garnered support from anti-abortion advocates but raised concerns among medical professionals and abortion-rights activists, especially in a state where both medication and surgical abortion are severely restricted, except under very specific circumstances.
President Joe Biden condemned the bill, describing it as “outrageous” and attributing it to Trump-era policies that sought to undermine Roe v. Wade.