Louisiana designates abortion pills as controlled substances

Louisiana has become the first US state to designate two commonly used abortion pills as dangerous controlled substances.

Anyone possessing mifepristone and misoprostol without a prescription could face jail time and thousands of dollars in fines.

A bill to reschedule the pills, which are also used for miscarriages and ulcers, was passed in both chambers of the state legislature, and signed into law on Friday by Republican Governor Jeff Landry.

Abortion advocates fear this will now see other states crack down on the most-used method of abortion in America.

The “controlled dangerous substances” designation is typically reserved for medications including Valium and Xanax.

The bill would also ban possession without a valid prescription, punishable by fines or even prison time.

The two drugs were approved for use up to 10 weeks of pregnancy by the FDA in 2000. When used, a patient is first given mifepristone to induce an abortion and then misoprostol to empty the uterus.

Misoprostol has been available by prescription separately for decades as a treatment for stomach ulcers and to manage postpartum haemorrhaging.

The bill originally focused on making it a crime to give a woman abortion pills without her knowledge. Classifying them as controlled substances was added later.

Most abortions are already illegal in Louisiana. The bill would further restrict access to the drugs, which are used in more than half of all abortions in the United States.

Anti-abortion groups have praised the legislation, but many doctors have raised concerns, highlighting other crucial uses of the medications outside of abortions.

And some abortion rights advocates say the bill, if passed, could serve as a model for other states hoping to further restrict the procedure.

In a statement on social media earlier this week, Vice-President Kamala Harris called the bill “unconscionable”, and blamed former President Donald Trump, who appointed many of the judges to the US Supreme Court that overturned the national right to an abortion - known as Row v Wade - two years ago.

The US Supreme Court is expected to rule on national access to mifepristone in the coming weeks.

It's the most significant abortion case before America's top court since it overturned Roe v Wade two years ago.