Misoprostol and Mifepristone Are Now Classified as Controlled Substances in Louisiana
On October 1, 2024, Louisiana’s law classifying abortion pills—mifepristone and misoprostol—as controlled substances went into effect.
Act 246 was passed and signed into law in Louisiana in June 2024. This legislation adds mifepristone and misoprostol to the Schedule IV list of controlled dangerous substances and represents an unprecedented and dangerous escalation in the attack on reproductive rights. This first-of-its-kind national law has sweeping implications, not only for abortion access but for healthcare as a whole. The new law restricts access to medications essential for treating miscarriages, other pregnancy complications, and various health conditions.
The Act could serve as a model for other anti-abortion lawmakers in other states, subjecting those who possess mifepristone and misoprostol but are not pregnant to extreme sentences while also reducing access to necessary treatments for a range of conditions, including postpartum hemorrhage and miscarriage management.
While the law does not make it a crime for a pregnant person to have abortion pills for their own use, we know that police and prosecutors could misinterpret the law to stoke fear and target abortion seekers and those who support them.
If someone gets investigated or arrested, the Repro Legal Defense Fund can help - they offer funding to cover the costs of their case from bail, to housing, to transportation, to mental health support so people have what they need for a strong defense.