La. lawmaker proposes plan to crack down on abortion pills

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, wants to make it illegal to buy abortion pills without a prescription from a licensed physician and penalize companies selling abortion pills to women without a prescription.

“We think that’s good policy, it’s good for the health of the woman and it certainly brings a medical professional into the conversation,” said Sen. Hewitt.

The FDA, under the Biden administration, opened the door for women to get abortion pills in the mail.

“I don’t understand how a state lawmaker can tell me I can’t go to a doctor in Mississippi or Texas, that’s my business,” said Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, who opposes the bill.

Rep. Landry tweeted about the bill Monday, calling it horrible, and says the mere premise of the bill is flawed.

“Well, you can’t get them right now without a prescription anywhere because they are prescription drugs,” added Rep. Landry.

But Sen. Hewitt says companies outside of Louisiana are supplying pills to women anyway.

“Yes, and they’re doing it by mail order now since December of 2021. And so, there’s no requirement for pregnancy tests, you know, there’s just no checks and balances when it comes to the health of the woman,” Sen. Hewitt explained.

The penalty for buying or selling these pills without a prescription, depending on the offense and your age could range from financial penalties to jail time.

“While we want to protect every unborn child, we also want to make sure these women are not accessing these abortion pills from places that aren’t providing good services and good examinations of a woman’s current state,” said Ben Clapper with Louisiana Right to Life.

Gov. John Bel Edwards leans away from democrat positions on abortion and has been vocal about being pro-life. Rep. Landry is almost certain the bill will pass and the governor will sign it into law.

An attempt was made to reach Planned Parenthood for comment but there was no reply from the group.

This bill will be taken up in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee once the session begins on Monday, March 14.

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