A bill passed by Louisiana lawmakers on Thursday could see the state become the first in the country to classify two abortion-inducing drugs as controlled dangerous substances — a move that doctors and reproductive rights advocates say could have far-reaching implications for access to healthcare in the country. state.
The bill, SB 276, was approved in the state Senate with 29 votes to 7, after being approved in the House with 66 votes to 30 on Tuesday. The text will then go to Republican Governor Jeff Landry, who is expected to sanction it. Supporters of the bill say it will protect pregnant women from forced abortions, while opponents argue that the two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, have many other uses besides abortion, and that reclassifying them as controlled substances would make it more difficult to do so. patient access. the medicine when necessary.
Here’s what the project would do and the controversy surrounding it.
What is SB276?
The bill, sponsored by Republican Senator Thomas Pressly, initially focused only on criminalizing the intentional use of medication to cause or attempt to cause an abortion without the knowledge or consent of the pregnant woman. Pressing he said he sponsored the project after his sister learned that her husband had given her abortion-inducing drugs without her knowledge or consent.
Several Louisiana doctors and reproductive rights advocates say they were concerned not with the initial bill but with its amendment, which was added at the end of the legislative process. The amendment labels mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV drugs under the Louisiana Uniform Controlled Hazardous Substances Act. Schedule IV medications are considered to have the potential for abuse or dependence and include Valium and Xanax.
Under the bill, if a person knowingly possesses these medications without a valid prescription, they may face fines or prison sentence.
Is abortion prohibited in Louisiana?
Yes. Louisiana has one almost total ban on abortion in effect with limited exceptions, such as if the fetus has a fatal abnormality or if continuation of the pregnancy would be life-threatening.
But both mifepristone and misoprostol are allowed in Louisiana for non-abortion purposes, such as stopping uterine bleeding caused by birth complications, inducing labor, and preparing the uterus for procedures such as IUD insertions and biopsies. Because of this, opponents of SB 276 argue that the bill could reduce access to health care.
See more information: What abortion laws are like in the US, a year after the fall of the Roe v.
Are mifepristone and misoprostol addictive drugs?
The Food and Drug Administration does not consider mifepristone and misoprostol to pose a significant risk of abuse or dependence. Years of research have found that both medicines are safe.
Dr. Jennifer Avegno, an emergency physician and director of the New Orleans Department of Health, told TIME that the bill amendment could create a “false narrative” that the medications are dangerous. Avegno, who co-wrote a letter to lawmakers signed by over 200 Louisiana doctors contest to the amendment of the bill, says that many doctors agree that the drugs do not belong to schedule IV because they do not have the potential to cause addiction.
“You need to have a clear demonstration that you pose a high risk of abuse, dependence, addiction, or that you pose a danger to public health,” Avegno says of Schedule IV drugs. “None of the hundreds of doctors we have worked with on this issue has ever experienced addictive or abusive drug use.”
Why are many doctors against changing the bill?
Doctors say the bill could block access to medicines for non-abortion purposes. Classifying medications as controlled substances would require doctors to have a special license to prescribe them, which some may not have.
“There are so many different regulations that you would have to go through,” says Dr. Bhavik Kumar, a family physician and medical director at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, which serves Louisiana and southeast Texas.
This can cause delays in patients accessing these medicines, sometimes in serious or life-threatening situations.
“Any delay in getting this medicine is the difference, frankly, between life and death,” Avegno says. “So it’s not the abstract we’re talking about and it’s not these unusual and rare cases. These drugs are used all day, every day.”
See more information: Doctors are still confused about abortion exceptions in Louisiana. It is limiting essential care
Patients may also be reluctant to take medications, even when needed, because they may not understand that they are safe to use, and pharmacists may be reluctant to fill these prescriptions, adds Avegno.
“What we’re already seeing is that women who are prescribed misoprostol for miscarriage are being told by the pharmacy, ‘I can’t fill this, this is the abortion medication’ because there’s a lot of fear out there,” Avegno says. “So if this is happening now, when it’s not labeled as a controlled, dangerous substance, how often is it going to happen when it is?”
Louisiana has one of higher maternal mortality rates in the country, and doctors fear that this change could worsen the situation.
What do people who support the project say?
Supporters of the bill argue that SB 276 would not prohibit doctors from prescribing these medications, but would instead prevent people from misusing them.
“What we’re trying to do here is add an additional opportunity to prevent bad actors from obtaining these drugs,” Pressly said during Thursday’s Senate meeting. The senator called the amendment “a proactive step” to prevent what happened to his sister from happening to others.
Louisiana Right to Life, an anti-abortion group that worked with Pressly on the bill, argued that state law does not say that drugs must be addictive to be classified as controlled substances. The group’s communications director, Sarah Zagorski, says she doesn’t think the bill would impede access to medications for non-abortion needs.
“The legislation itself says that for legitimate health reasons this medicine is completely legal”, he states. . “Doctors prescribe controlled substances every day, they know the protocols for doing so; This is no different than that.”
See more information: What to know about the Arizona Supreme Court’s abortion ban ruling
What happens next?
The bill is now waiting to be signed into law by Governor Landry. If he does so, the law take effect October 1st.
Doctors and reproductive rights advocates say they are concerned that SB 276 could inspire similar bills in other states. And many feared there could be more unforeseen consequences.
“There are so many unknowns about this because it is unprecedented,” says Dr. Nicole Freehill, a gynecologist in Louisiana.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
