Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill into law Friday classifying two abortion-inducing drugs as controlled substances, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The legislation targets the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol, which are used to perform abortions, according to the AP. It places the abortion drugs in the same category as opioids, depressants and other addictive drugs, CBS News reported. The move makes Louisiana the first state to pass legislation regulating the two drugs, according to the outlet.
The law will not punish pregnant women who possess the pills but could result in the prosecution of others who have the pills without a valid prescription, the report noted. (RELATED: Study: Demand For Abortion Pills Spiked In Red States Post-Dobbs)
The new law, which will take effect Oct. 1, started as a measure to prohibit “coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud,” the AP reported. The law was intended to punish those who poison pregnant mothers with abortion pills without their knowledge, according to the outlet.
Gov. Landry, in a statement, argued “Requiring an abortion inducing drug to be obtained with a prescription and criminalizing the use of an abortion drug on an unsuspecting mother is nothing short of common-sense,” the AP reported.
Requiring an abortion inducing drug to be obtained with a prescription and criminalizing the use of an abortion drug on an unsuspecting mother is nothing short of common sense. This bill protects women across Louisiana and I was proud to sign this bill into law today.
Thanks to… pic.twitter.com/WJEjuqlw2Y
— Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry) May 24, 2024
However, Ellie Schilling, an attorney who specializes in reproductive health law, claimed to reporters the measure will make it “incredibly difficult” for women to obtain the drugs and will result in the state tracking those who use and prescribe the treatments, CBS News reported.
President Joe Biden released a statement Thursday saying the move was a “direct result of Trump overturning Roe v. Wade” and accused the former president of advocating for “some form of ‘punishment’ for accessing reproductive health care,” according to CBS News.
