Louisiana Blazes Trail to Classify Abortion Pill as ‘Controlled Substance’

The abortion drug regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol is advertised by abortion giants such as Planned Parenthood as “safe” and “effective.” But researchers have unveiled evidence that proves these pills, which work together to end the life of an unborn baby, are not safe.

And yet, the use of chemical abortion is spreading. As reported in March, it took just six months for three of California’s colleges to carry out over 420 abortions with the abortion drug. In an effort to combat this increased usage of these harmful substances, states such as Louisiana have put forth legislation to criminalize obtaining mifepristone and misoprostol without a legitimate prescription.

The Louisiana state Senate and House recognized the dangers these drugs present and have chosen not to take those risks lightly. Last week, SB 276 was passed with overwhelming support in the state Senate (27-9), with a 63-29 vote in the state House. And on Friday, Governor Jeff Landry (R) officially signed the bill into law, making Louisiana the first U.S. state to enact legislation that classifies chemical abortion pills as “controlled substances.”

As The Daily Wire reported, the bill “adds both mifepristone and misoprostol to the state’s list of dangerous controlled substances and creates punishment for coerced abortions,” including potential prison time and fines up to $5,000. The law, sponsored by Senator Thomas Pressly (R-La.), will take effect October 1, 2024. “This is a huge piece of legislation,” lauded Jody Hice, former congressman and guest host Friday’s episode of “Washington Watch.”

Pressly, who celebrated the legislation being signed into law, expressed how the motivation behind the bill was personal. “[M]y sister was the victim of a horrible domestic violence attack,” he told Hice. He explained how she and her husband “were going through some marital issues,” and in the heat of their disagreements, her husband “tried to poison her seven times with [mifepristone]” by crushing it up and putting it in a drink he then gave to his pregnant wife. Catherine, Pressly’s sister, noticed what her husband was attempting to do and “was able to take the abortion reversal pill and able to save the life of my now 22-month-old niece,” the senator shared.

“Thank God,” he added, Catherine and her baby girl are “alive and doing remarkably well, considering the circumstances … during the first trimester of pregnancy.” Ultimately, Pressly emphasized, the danger of chemical abortion “was a personal issue for me.” And it’s his sister’s story he now hopes can aid in protecting “other women from having this horrible attack happen to them.”

Hice expressed how “there’s so much fear mongering from the abortion industry about this legislation.” As he emphasized, “Some tell us [mifepristone is] no more dangerous than Advil or some other similar drug.” But according to Hice, these criticisms clearly “missed the mark,” as “this is a huge problem across the board.”

“Oh, it truly is,” Pressly stated. “My goal in this is … to ensure that we are protecting life.” Additionally, the goal of the Louisiana law, as the senator described, is to allow “health care professionals to do their job and ensure that these pills are being used in a proper way that is not for elective abortion,” which Hice stated was “a great step in the right direction.”

Hice asked, “How can other states follow Louisiana’s lead on this extremely important issue?” According to Pressley, the first step in helping other states follow suit is to educate them on the dangers of chemical abortion. “[W]hen you look at the risk to the public,” Pressly pointed out, “not only to the unborn babies, but also to the mothers who could be poisoned with these pills as my sister was … it’s untenable that we don’t do more to protect women and protect the unborn in these situations.” But what it boils down to, the senator continued, is that “we’ve got to put more protections in place,” which is “exactly what we did in Louisiana. And I hope that other states will continue to follow our lead on that.”

Pressly explained how the Left will portray this law as something negative, as conservatives “not caring for women.” But the senator wanted “to be very clear” that this legislation does have both the well-being of the mother and the child in mind. He concluded, “We’re simply saying that it should be a doctor that’s making a … prescription and allowing it to move forward when it’s not for abortion. But in Louisiana, we do not allow abortion.”