{"id":266431,"date":"2022-04-18T14:36:22","date_gmt":"2022-04-18T19:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=266431"},"modified":"2022-04-16T23:09:52","modified_gmt":"2022-04-17T04:09:52","slug":"louisiana-lawmakers-advance-ban-abortion-pill-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/louisiana-lawmakers-advance-ban-abortion-pill-visit\/","title":{"rendered":"Louisiana lawmakers advance bill banning abortion pill distribution without an in-person visit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Until recently, the pro-life movement has focused on stopping surgical abortions committed in brick-and-mortar facilities. However, <\/span>according to the Guttmacher Institute<\/span><\/a>, the pro-abortion former research arm of Planned Parenthood, more than half of abortions are now committed by abortion pill. These can be taken at home and can even be ordered online, and patients<\/span>\u00a0induce abortions in their homes without a physician present. <\/span>A new bill in Louisiana aims to restrict the distribution of these mail-order abortion drugs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Louisiana state law requires an in-person visit to a physician and a prescription in order to receive abortion-inducing drugs. However, recent moves to make these drugs accessible through online ordering make it easy to violate these laws. <\/span>SB 388 enforces the laws that are already in place<\/span><\/a> against abortion drugs being mailed from out-of-state businesses<\/span>.<\/span> It also proposes harsher penalties for physicians who violate restrictions on the distribution of abortion medication.<\/span><\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Pollock becomes 1st city in Louisiana to outlaw abortion, 46th in US<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In December 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave its approval for physicians to mail abortion-inducing drugs to patients after a telemedicine visit. Despite this approval, some states are moving to put a stop to this practice, deeming it unsafe. <\/span>Many pro-life lawmakers<\/span><\/a> are writing bills<\/a><\/span> that restrict access<\/a> to the abortion pill<\/a>.\u00a0Louisiana Senator Sharon Hewitt is one of these. <\/span><\/p>\n

On Tuesday, April 12, Louisiana\u2019s Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-1 in support of Hewitt\u2019s Senate Bill 388: \u201cStopping Illegal Sale of Chemical Abortion Act.\u201d It is likely that the Bill will be passed<\/a>, as the majority of Louisiana\u2019s lawmakers and its governor do not support the legalization of abortion.\u00a0Hewitt ensured that her bill would enforce consequences for those who sell abortion pills, not for pregnant women<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n