Republicans in the Louisiana state house passed a bill Tuesday that would designate the abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol as a "controlled dangerous substance" and punish people holding these pills if they do not hold a prescription, The New York Times reported. According to the bill, violators "shall be imprisoned with or without hard labor for not less than one year nor more than five years," in addition to fines.
Under the proposed law, someone who is themselves pregnant would be exempt from imprisonment and fines, but anyone who helps them obtain abortion pills would be at risk of prosecution. For non-pregnant individuals who are taking precautions, or volunteers who provide pills to under-served communities, the bill represents an escalation from punishing people for actual abortions to targeting those who are merely preparing for the possibility.
