Louisiana has become the first U.S. State to approve the criminalization of possession of abortion medication. On Friday, Governor Jeff Landry signed into law a bill that reclassified abortion pills as controlled substances.
According to the new law, mifepristone and misoprostol–two drugs used to terminate early pregnancies in the majority of all U.S. abortion pills–were added as Schedule IV drugs in Louisiana’s list of restricted substances, considering them as addictive and harmful as opioids and other medications, like Ambien, Valium, and Xanax. The measure runs counter to the Food and Drug Administration decision which does not consider abortion pills addictive, nor mifepristone or misoprostol as dangerous. If either of these drugs are bought separately to treat other conditions, they are permitted.
Anyone found in possession of an abortion pill, without being pregnant or without a prescription provided by a medical professional, will risk up to five years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.
This is only the last chapter of strict anti-abortion policies approved by the State in the past years. Abortion operations in the State are banned, except in cases where the mother’s life is at risk or if the fetus has a fatal condition.
The law will become effective as of October 1.
