Abortion Drug Law in Louisiana Heightens Hemorrhage Risk for Pregnant Patients

Per KFF Health News, a 2024 Louisiana law reclassified misoprostol and mifepristone as controlled substances, creating dangerous delays in emergency obstetric care. Misoprostol is both a medication abortion drug and the standard treatment for postpartum hemorrhage, one of pregnancy's most common emergencies. Before the law, hospitals kept it on readily-accessible emergency carts; now it's locked in a secure room. Obstetrician Nicole Freehill told KFF that retrieving it takes two minutes or more—time in which a patient could lose a liter of blood. While other drugs can treat hemorrhage, they don't work for patients with certain conditions like asthma or high blood pressure. Her research found hemorrhage rates worsened statewide. The law was introduced after a man secretly gave his wife pills to cause an abortion without consent, resulting in six months in prison. But it's also become a tool for suppressing medication abortion. The New Orleans Health Department called for repeal; medical pushback has stopped similar bills from advancing elsewhere.

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