A bill criminalizing possession of two drugs used for abortions has House approval.
The Louisiana House passed the bill by a 64-29 vote during a Monday evening vote. Twelve House members were absent for the vote. The bill, which was amended on the House floor, heads back to the Senate for concurrence.
Senate Bill 276, authored by Sen. Thomas Pressly (R-Shreveport), makes possession of possession of mifepristone and misoprostol would be punishable by up to 10 years in prison. That language is tacked onto a bill that makes "abortion by fraud" a crime. Pressly says he wrote the bill after his sister unwittingly took one of those medications after her estranged husband slipped it into her drinks when she was pregnant. Pressly's brother-in-law pleaded guilty to the allegations earlier this year.
Opponents of the bill, including nearly 200 doctors and other members of the medical community who signed a letter sent to lawmakers, argue that classifying the drugs as controlled dangerous substances is wrong because they are not addictive. They also say the law would make doctors reluctant to use the medicines to treat miscarriages, to stop hemorrhaging after childbirth, and for other lifesaving purposes.
