Louisiana moves to criminalize possession of abortion pills
Photo: Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto via Getty Images
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Louisiana could soon become the first state to criminalize possession without a prescription of mifepristone and misoprostol, the two drugs used to induce a medicated abortion.
The move opens a new front in the fight over abortion pills and could threaten to further restrict access in a state that bans almost all abortions.
It’s the latest attempt by anti-abortion politicians in Louisiana to control access to one of the most common methods of abortion in the country. It comes as the Supreme Court is deliberating a case from anti-abortion doctors seeking to limit access to mifepristone.
Lawmakers in the GOP-controlled Legislature added a last-minute amendment that classifies the drugs as controlled substances to a state Senate bill that would create the crime of “coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud” — where someone knowingly gives abortion pills to a pregnant woman without her knowledge or consent.
The underlying bill was sponsored by state Sen. Thomas Pressly (R).
The amendment added the drugs to Louisiana’s Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law, which regulates drugs that can be highly addictive like opioids, ephedrine and antidepressants.
The amendment would criminalize possession for anyone who doesn’t have a prescription or is a licensed provider, and subject violators to up to five years in prison. The amendment would also seemingly make it illegal for a woman to have the pills on hand even if she isn’t pregnant and imminently planning to take them, a practice known as “advance provision” that’s become increasingly popular in states with abortion bans.
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Louisiana could soon become the first state to criminalize possession without a prescription of mifepristone and misoprostol, the two drugs used to induce a medicated abortion.
It’s the latest attempt by anti-abortion politicians in Louisiana to control access to one of the most common methods of abortion in the country. It comes as the Supreme Court is deliberating a case from anti-abortion doctors seeking to limit access to mifepristone.
And here we are watching a political party commit suicide. More power to them to succeed in their quest.
Lawmakers in the GOP-controlled Legislature added a last-minute amendment that classifies the drugs as controlled substances to a state Senate bill that would create the crime of “coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud” — where someone knowingly gives abortion pills to a pregnant woman without her knowledge or consent.
The underlying bill was sponsored by state Sen. Thomas Pressly (R).
The amendment added the drugs to Louisiana’s Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law, which regulates drugs that can be highly addictive like opioids, ephedrine and antidepressants.
Actually I don't see anything wrong with it being a crime to knowingly cause a pregnant woman to consume abortion pills without her knowledge or consent - although that is slightly different from what the article said.
The amendment would criminalize possession for anyone who doesn’t have a prescription or is a licensed provider, and subject violators to up to five years in prison.
The amendment would also seemingly make it illegal for a woman to have the pills on hand even if she isn’t pregnant and imminently planning to take them, a practice known as “advance provision” that’s become increasingly popular in states with abortion bans.
I have been to Louisiana several times over the years, there are so many more important things you idiots in the legislature could be doing besides this insanity.
Louisiana takes another step closer to the 17th century.
do you suppose they can they be made to look like communion wafers? /s
Will they ban coat hangers next?
The GOP is not about freedom for anybody who does not toe the some conservative group-think. And yes, I am saying that conservatives are 'uniform' thinkers. . .we have the proof! What they don't wish to see in others. . . they mock first, demonize second, and then outlaw with fearmongering and practiced ignorance. It's sad. The GOP is one CONFLICTED party now.
I don't do uniform or group think, On abortion I am very far to the left side and have stated that many times here.
In fact, I can't understand why conservatives do not support Abortion Rights.
I'm not bound by political party loyalties or stuck on right wing or left wing either. When it comes to issues, I choose the side I personally consider to be the correct one, and I'm not married to them if situations change. I'm glad to see that you profess to that maturity as well, because there are some on this site who have their brains stuck in mud.
Christian nationalism is the reason some conservatives do not support abortion rights. It would be 'perfectly' okay for them to not like or participate in abortion as a fact of their religious choice or programming. . . the problem is they are intent on declaring what is for the whole of the population of a state. . . Christians, and I profess to being a Christian, are not the whole make up of any state government.
Have you, by any chance, ever heard of a past member of Congress named Liz Cheney?
The GOP is not about freedom for anybody who does not toe the some conservative group-think. And yes, I am saying that conservatives are 'uniform' thinkers. . .we have the proof!
Have you, by any chance, ever heard of a past member of Congress named Liz Cheney?
Or . . . Michael Steele? Adam Kinzinger? Cassidy Hutchinson?
Mitt Romney? Mark Esper? Chris Christie? Paul Ryan? Asa Hutchinson?
And what about feller that narrowly escaped being hanged-- the irrepressible Mike Pence?
She got booted out by the group-thinkers, the brains-stuck-in-mud follow the fold conservatives. IMO opinion, which is not shared by many around here, she would be MY first choice for POTUS.
And then there's The Lincoln Project
And of course Anthony Scaramucci!
The GOP is not about freedom for anybody who does not toe the some conservative group-think. And yes, I am saying that conservatives are 'uniform' thinkers. . .we have the proof! Have you, by any chance, ever heard of a past member of Congress named Liz Cheney?
Popular MSNBC TV show co-host Joe Scarborough.:
In 1994, Scarborough was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Florida's 1st congressional district, becoming the first Republican to represent the Florida Panhandle since Reconstruction.
Yes!
They are well-known exceptions to the rule in the GOP/MAGA. They are now 'outcast' from MAGA, too. Pence, just has not let the door hit him—yet.
Not members of MAGA/GOP or whatever its properly calling itself now.
Joe Scarborough leaves the Republican Party
October 13, 2017
Not so long ago...they did! True conservatives have always believed that "that government is best which governs least"-- they are opposed to the government having too much power, interfering too much in peoples' lives.
Traditionally, conservatives felt that,as long as someone is not injuring other people, they should have the right to live their life as they choose-- without the government meddling! That aa person's healthcare decisions should be decided by the individual-- not by the government! (Under Marxism, the government tells you how to live your life...)
Here's an interesting video:
That just does not fit with their stand against abortion. I just don't understand this. Completely Illogical
Is it news 6 1/2 years later?
In the nicest way I can say this: That comment was not meant for you in any way, shape, form, or fashion.
2017 ?
Not yet.
Let's wait another year or two-- perhaps people will think its news then!
You have an update on Scarborough's return to that party that makes a significant difference since 2017?
When the SCOTUS reversed Roe v Wade the first thing I said back then was that people should invest in wire coat hanger manufacturers.
a lot of home remedies are returning, some might be dangerous
More women will die in self-caused abortions and childbirth and more monsters will be born to have to be cared for for the rest of their usually very short lives, thanks to the pro-lifers.
I wonder how many people see the irony in that term? ("pro-lifers")?