Louisiana lawmakers advance bill to reclassify abortion drugs, worrying doctors

By SARA CLINE
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana lawmakers have advanced a bill that would reclassify two abortion-inducing drugs, making it a crime to possess without a prescription. Mifepristone and misoprostol have other critical uses, including to induce labor, stop obstetric hemorrhaging and treat miscarriages. Doctors say they are “greatly concerned” about the legislation that moved forward on Tuesday. They worry it could prevent them from prescribing necessary treatments for their patients. The reclassification of the two drugs in Louisiana is an amendment to a bill that would create the crime of “coerced abortion.” The bill will return to the Senate for final approval.