AURN News with Ebony McMorris

Louisiana Deals a Blow to Women’s Rights

Ebony McMorris
May 24, 2024

Boxes of the drug mifepristone sit on a shelf at the West Alabama Women's Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on March 16, 2022. Louisiana lawmakers have approved a first-of-its-kind bill that would classify two abortion-inducing drugs as a controlled and dangerous substance. The final Senate vote Thursday, May 23, 2024, came despite widespread criticism from doctors, who note that the drugs have other critical reproductive health care uses. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed, File)

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In Louisiana, the State House has passed a controversial bill criminalizing the possession of abortion pills without valid prescriptions, a move that could lead to fines, jail time, or both for those convicted.

The measures, supported by anti-abortion groups, have sparked concern among medical professionals and reproductive rights advocates.

This legislation, if approved, would classify Mifepristone and Mifepristol as controlled substances, despite medical and surgical abortions already being illegal in Louisiana, except in limited cases.

With medication abortions comprising 63 percent of all terminations last year, the bill’s implications are far-reaching. Medical professionals argue against the measure, highlighting the drug’s vital roles beyond abortion care, including aiding labor, treating miscarriage, and preventing ulcers.

Stay tuned as the bill heads back to the Senate for further deliberations.

Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.