Louisiana set to make history as first state to criminalize possession of misoprostol, mifepristone, and other medications that treat women’s health needs

BATON ROUGE, LA - On Tuesday, October 1, Louisiana will make history as the first state to reclassify mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances, due to the passage of Republican-led Senate Bill 276 during the 2024 Legislative Session.

These safe medications, with no potential for abuse or dependence, are used for routine conditions, emergencies, and to prevent women from bleeding out after giving birth or having a miscarriage.  

Dr. Jennifer Avegno, ER physician and head of the New Orleans Health Department, says that for a hemorrhaging mother, “That drug is now going to be in some kind of locked cabinet, which means that likely a nurse or somebody will have to leave the bedside, run down the hall or wherever the locked cabinet is located, and do a series of steps to access the medication and bring it back… those extra minutes could mean life or death.”

It’s a stark reality that Louisiana has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation. In Louisiana, four black mothers die for every white mother. Hemorrhaging, a condition that accounted for 17% of pregnancy-related maternal deaths from 2011-2016, is a serious concern.  Women with hypertension, who are at an increased risk of maternal death, can’t use one of the primary alternatives to these medications. 

More than 200 doctors sent a letter to legislators this past spring, urging them to reconsider the reclassification. Their advice was clear: This decision would be detrimental to women’s health. Yet, Republican politicians chose to disregard their expertise and the potential consequences. 

“This is not just a policy change, but a blatant disregard for the well-being of every person of childbearing age and those who care for them. The impact on women’s health cannot be overstated,” said Pamela Steeg, Co-Chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party Women’s Caucus. “This is not a distant concern, but an urgent matter that demands our immediate attention.”

“Thanks to Donald Trump, who proudly claims credit for ripping away women’s freedoms, we in Louisiana live in constant fear of losing even more rights. Already our state has one of the most extreme abortion bans in the country — which provides no exceptions for rape or incest and has created a dangerous and difficult environment for women seeking care,” said Louisiana Democratic Party Chair Randal Gaines. “This new law is a harrowing preview of how much worse things could get under Governor Landry and the extreme GOP leadership. Criminalizing possession of these medications, which have a wide range of uses to protect women’s health, will; further endanger the lives of Louisianians.”

Harris-Walz 2024 Spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said, “Let’s be clear: Trump is the reason Louisiana women who are suffering from miscarriages or bleeding out after birth can no longer receive the critical care they would have received before Trump overturned Roe. Because of Trump, doctors are scrambling to find solutions to save their patients and are left at the whims of politicians who think they know better. Trump is proud of what he’s done. He brags about it. And if he wins, he will threaten to bring the crisis he created for Louisiana women to all 50 states.”