Louisiana Becomes First State To Classify Abortion Pills As Controlled Substance

Louisiana is officially the first state to categorize mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV controlled substances like opioids, which are considered addictive.

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While both drugs are commonly used for medication abortions, they are also used for managing miscarriages; they are considered safe and have very few reports of any severe side effects.

Doctors are concerned about limited access to these drugs, especially during life-threatening emergencies like postpartum hemorrhages and the potential of this law spreading to other states.

Jane Martin, an OB-GYN at Ochsner Health in New Orleans, says they see 5,000 births a year, and these drugs are used on a daily basis. She explains that the drugs are kept in a 'hemorrhage box' in every delivery room.

"As soon as the clock strikes midnight, this will be a reality almost immediately because we call for it in an emergency situation so frequently, it's administered at least once a day on labor and delivery.”

Now, with this new law, she along with other doctors fears that there will be more 'red tape' limiting easy access in emergency situations.

A maternal-fetal specialist, Dr. Kylie Cooper, explains that you have to act quick in these emergency situations: "Patients can lose a large amount of blood in a very, very short timeframe, so in many situations, seconds and minutes count."

Physicians performing illegal abortions using these drugs could face up to 15 years in prison and hundreds of thousands in fines. Any individual caught with either drug without a proper prescription could be fined up to $5,000 and up to 5 years in prison.

Supporter's argue that this reclassification will help prevent coerced abortions and prevent the illegal sale and distribution of the pills.

According to The Joint Commission, 5% of pregnant women will experience postpartum hemorrhages, which contribute 11% towards the maternal deaths annually in the United States.

This new law goes into effect Tuesday, October 1st.