Louisiana governor signs law classifying abortion pills as controlled substance

Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill into law on Friday that classifies abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol as "controlled and dangerous" substances. 

The state House of Representatives passed the legislation on Tuesday, and the state Senate passed it on Thursday. The new law makes possession of the drugs a crime punishable by jail time or a fine.  Surgical and medical abortions are already illegal in the southern state except in extreme cases, meaning it is already difficult to obtain the drugs legally. But now the possession itself without a prescription could get an individual up to five years in prison.

The new law classifies the two drugs as Schedule IV drugs under the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law, alongside drugs like Valium and Xanax. It also outlaws coerced abortions, which are done without the pregnant person's knowledge. People who commit this crime could face up to 10 years in prison, or up to 20 years if the pregnant person was three or more months into a pregnancy. 

Landry said the new law protects women in his state from coerced abortions, but critics are concerned that the new law could make people think the medication itself is dangerous, which health professionals claim is not the case.

"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," Landry said in a post to X. "This bill protects women across Louisiana and I was proud to sign this bill into law today."

Mifepristone was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000. It is not considered a controlled substance by federal regulators because it carries a low risk of misuse. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.