Louisiana on Tuesday will become the first U.S. state to classify two widely used abortion pills as “controlled dangerous substances.”
Opponents of the classification say it could have catastrophic consequences in a state that already bans abortion almost completely and has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country.
Doctors fear this reclassification will lead to delays in access to these drugs – mifepristone and misoprostol – which can be used together to manage miscarriages, while misoprostol induces labor and treats severe bleeding after delivery . They also fear the practice of drug reclassification could spread beyond Louisiana.
Supporters of the new law say the measure should help prevent “forced abortions,” pointing to a case in Texas in which a pregnant woman received seven misoprostol pills from her husband without his knowledge; the baby survived. Over the past 15 years, the media have reported similar cases – but none in Louisiana – although the problem does not appear to be widespread.
Both mifepristone and misoprostol can be obtained by prescription in Louisiana, but the state now reclassifies them in the same category as the opioid tramadol and other potentially addictive substances.
Mifepristone, usually taken with misoprostol, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000, when federal regulators deemed it safe and effective for terminating pregnancies in the first weeks of gestation. . The drug, which blocks the hormone progesterone, also prepares the uterus to respond to the effect of misoprostol causing contractions.
Last year in the United States, nearly two-thirds of all abortions were medical abortions. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously preserved access to the drug, rejecting a lawsuit by abortion opponents who claimed the FDA had overlooked serious safety concerns by making it easier to obtain the drug. mifepristone.
Fines and prison sentences
Under current Louisiana law, doctors convicted of performing an illegal abortion, including with pills, face up to 15 years in prison, a $200,000 fine and the loss of their medical license. practical.
The new classification means that if a person knowingly possesses mifepristone or misoprostol without a valid prescription for any reason, they can be fined up to $5,000 and imprisoned for one to five years.
The law provides protections for pregnant women who obtain the drug without a prescription to take it themselves.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, a Republican who supports the current abortion ban and its reclassification, said in September that the “intentional delivery of these drugs by organizations operating through the Internet or other networks” is illegal and that they will be prosecuted.
Doctors say the law could harm patients because of the extra steps and stricter storage requirements, especially in emergency situations where misoprostol is used to manage dangerous postpartum hemorrhage.
Up to 5 percent of obstetric patients will suffer from postpartum hemorrhage, which accounts for 11 percent of maternal deaths in the United States, according to the Joint Commission, a nonprofit standards-setting organization. and accredits health care organizations.