Louisiana lawmakers pass bill targeting out-of-state doctors who prescribe and mail abortion pills
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana lawmakers on Tuesday approved a measure that targets out-of-state doctors and activists who prescribe, sell, or provide pregnancy-ending drugs to residents in the reliably red state where abortions are banned with few exceptions.
Louisiana law already allows women to sue doctors who perform abortions on them in the state. The bill expands who can be sued. It includes those out of the state, who may be responsible for an illegal abortion whether that be mailing, prescribing or 'coordinating the sale of' pregnancy-ending pills to someone in Louisiana.
The legislation, which further restricts access to abortion pills, now heads to the desk of conservative Republican Gov. Jeff Landry.
The bill was crafted in response to a criminal case against a New York doctor who allegedly prescribed online and sent abortion pills to a pregnant Louisiana minor, Attorney General Liz Murrill said last month. Murrill argues the measure is 'another tool in the toolbox' to dissuade and hold accountable out-of-state doctors who are 'intent on violating our laws.'
The case is at the center of an unfolding battle between liberal and conservative states over abortion medications and prescribing such drugs across state lines. Idaho, Oklahoma and Texas already have adopted similar provisions.
State Sen. Rick Edmonds, who presented the bill, told lawmakers the measure is 'a statement' that 'these pills are not welcome' in Louisiana.
Under the legislation, the mother of the fetus could sue 'any person or entity' who knowingly 'performs, causes, or substantially facilitates an abortion.' The bill defines 'substantially facilitates' as 'administering, prescribing, dispensing, distributing, selling, or coordinating the sale for an abortion-inducing drug to a person in this state.' The measure specifies that it does not apply if such drugs are obtained for legal uses.
Abortions are legal in Louisiana only when there's substantial risk of death or impairment to the mother if she continues the pregnancy or when the fetus has a fatal abnormality.
Women would have up to 10 years after an abortion to sue.
Health care providers licensed to practice in Louisiana and pharmacists in compliance with state pharmacy board rules are exempt.
Opponents argue the bill is unnecessary because Louisian has some of the strictest abortion laws in the U.S. They also argue that the legislation further hinders women's health care and that heightened legal repercussions could drive doctors from the state.
Democratic state Sen. Royce Duplessis described the bill — which was significantly watered down from its original version — as the latest way conservatives are attempting to 'exercise control over women's decision making as it relates to their health care.'
'It baffles me how year after year, after these (anti-abortion) organizations have gotten everything that they wanted — they got Roe overturned, trigger laws took effect and don't even think about getting an abortion in the state of Louisiana, but here we go again,' Duplessis said. 'We have to send another message.'
Louisiana already has punishments in place for illegal abortions. Physicians convicted of the crime face up to 15 years in prison. Additionally, last year lawmakers added two abortion pills — mifepristone and misoprostol — to the state's list of dangerous controlled substances. As a result, if someone possesses either drug without a prescription they could be sent to jail for one to five years.
But anti-abortion advocates say 'loopholes' remain in Louisiana law.
Murrill pointed to the case of Margaret Carpenter, the New York doctor who was charged in Louisiana with criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs, a felony. Authorities allege that last year, the mother of a pregnant minor requested abortion medication online for her daughter. Carpenter allegedly sent the pills to Louisiana and the woman directed her pregnant daughter to take them.
'These are not doctors providing health care. They are drug dealers. They are violating our laws,' Murrill told lawmakers last month.
Despite demands from Louisiana officials, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said she will not extradite Carpenter.
The case appears to be the first of its kind since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It will likely test other states' shield laws that protect doctors from prosecution in places that ban abortions.
Carpenter faces a $100,000 fine in Texas for allegedly violating state law by prescribing abortion medication to a woman via telemedicine. However, a county clerk refused to file the civil judgment, citing New York's shield law.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
13 minutes ago
- Washington Post
UN nuclear watchdog's board of governors finds Iran isn't complying with its nuclear obligations
VIENNA — The U.N. nuclear watchdog's board of governors on Thursday formally found that Iran isn't complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years, a move that could lead to further tensions and set in motion an effort to restore United Nations sanctions on Tehran later this year. Nineteen countries on the International Atomic Energy Agency's board, which represents the agency's member nations, voted for the resolution, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors vote. Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed it, 11 abstained and two did not vote. In the draft resolution seen by The Associated Press, the board of governors renews a call on Iran to provide answers 'without delay' in a long-running investigation into uranium traces found at several locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Western officials suspect that the uranium traces could provide evidence that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until 2003. The resolution was put forward by France, the U.K., Germany and the United States. Iran's government did not immediately respond to the vote, though it has threatened to retaliate immediately. 'Iran's many failures to uphold its obligations since 2019 to provide the Agency with full and timely cooperation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations in Iran ... constitutes non-compliance with its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement,' the draft resolution says. Under the so-called safeguards obligations, which are part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty , Iran is legally bound to declare all nuclear material and activities and allow IAEA inspectors to verify that none of it is being diverted from peaceful uses. The draft resolution also finds that the IAEA's 'inability ... to provide assurance that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful gives rise to questions that are within the competence of the United Nations Security Council, as the organ bearing the main responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.' The vote comes at a sensitive time as tensions in the region have been rising, with the U.S. State Department announcing on Wednesday that it is drawing down the presence of people who are not deemed essential to operations in the Middle East. It also comes as the U.S. and Iran have been holding talks on Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. Oman's foreign minister said earlier Thursday that a sixth round of negotiations will be held in his country on Sunday. The draft resolution makes a direct reference to the U.S.-Iran talks, stressing its 'support for a diplomatic solution to the problems posed by the Iranian nuclear program, including the talks between the United States and Iran, leading to an agreement that addresses all international concerns related to Iran's nuclear activities, encouraging all parties to constructively engage in diplomacy.'
Fast Company
25 minutes ago
- Fast Company
If you want to beat burnout, start counting your wins
When our son was 2 years old, our twins were born. That meant that for a while, we had three kids under 3 years old (and then three kids under 4, and then three under 5). At the time, I was also working at a high-stress job as a Justice Department attorney, with not enough support at home or at work. Perhaps I began to get depressed, but it would be more accurate to say I was moving too fast even to know how I felt. Mostly, I was like a hamster on a wheel: sprinting as fast as I could just to stay in place. My days blurred together in an endless loop of emails, laundry, preschool drop-offs, spit-up, 2 a.m. feedings, and briefing political appointees. I knew something had to change, but the entire concept of 'self-care' seemed completely inaccessible. A spin class? A pedicure? Even a massage? You might as well have told me to hike to the moon. Fortunately, I hit upon a quick, free, low-effort practice that helped me begin to find my way back to myself: I started to count my wins. Every night before I went to sleep, I would list three things I did well that day. They weren't huge accomplishments, I promise. Sometimes, they were things like, 'I got Henry to eat a green bean today.' But over time, something pretty incredible started to happen. Instead of feeling like a hamster on a wheel, running so fast and getting nowhere, I began to notice that I was actually getting somewhere. That email I spent two weeks on actually did go out, and it was pretty good if I do say so myself. I remembered to call my friend on her birthday. I made the vacation rental reservation. My life wasn't just an endless to-do list. There were lots and lots of things I was accomplishing all the time. The power of small wins Here's what I know: we are excellent at identifying what we haven't done. I bet you could list 10 unfinished tasks right now off the top of your head. But what about something you accomplished this week? Can you name even one? Our constant cataloguing of tasks and reminders of where we've fallen short starts to chip away at us. Merely thinking about our to-do lists creates anticipatory stress and fatigue, depleting our energy and creating overwhelm. When I forced myself to list the things I had accomplished, I was able to shift my focus away from all the things I was failing to achieve, and instead to notice all that I was. How to Start Counting Your Wins Make it a habit. Each night before bed, I'd name three things I did well that day. It's helpful to connect it to something that you're already doing, so you might try it on your commute, or while brushing your teeth. Daily is ideal, but weekly works, too. Be specific. 'I was a good manager' is fine. 'I supported Alex through a tough client call' is better. Specificity helps your brain register and remember the success. Define your own wins. Wins don't have to be big. They just have to matter to you. A win could be leading a meeting well or setting a boundary with a relative or remembering to bring your lunch. You get to define what counts. Check in with yourself. Set a calendar notice for three weeks after you've started counting your wins to ask yourself if you're seeing any difference in your patience or energy level. Are you a little easier on yourself? Are you finding it easier to identify wins? That reflection can motivate you to keep up the practice. It's so easy to lose sight of our progress. Counting your wins is a simple but powerful tool to reclaim that perspective. It doesn't require a lot of time or a major life overhaul, just a brief pause to recognize all that you are accomplishing. That moment of reflection can help you sustain momentum, rebuild resilience, and reconnect with a sense of purpose. In a world that often measures us by what's next, this practice reminds us: what you've already done counts, too.
Fast Company
25 minutes ago
- Fast Company
How Trump's ‘Big Beautiful Bill' threatens to make U.S. energy dirtier and more expensive
When it comes to energy policy, the ' One Big Beautiful Bill Act '—the official name of a massive federal tax-cut and spending bill that House Republicans passed in May 2025 —risks raising Americans' energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The 1,100-page bill would slash incentives for green technologies such as solar, wind, batteries, electric cars, and heat pumps while subsidizing existing nuclear power plants and biofuels. That would leave the country and its people burning more fossil fuels despite strong popular and scientific support for a rapid shift to renewable energy. The bill may still be revised by the Senate before it moves to a final vote. But it is a picture of how President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans want to reshape U.S. energy policy. As an environmental engineering professor who studies ways to confront climate change, I think it is important to distinguish which technologies could rapidly cut emissions or are on the verge of becoming viable from those that do little to fight climate change. Unfortunately, the House bill favors the latter while nixing support for the former. Renewable energy Wind and solar power, often paired with batteries, are providing more than 90% of the new electricity currently being added to the grid nationally and around the world. Geothermal power is undergoing technological breakthroughs. With natural gas turbines in short supply and long lead times to build other resources, renewables and batteries offer the fastest way to satisfy growing demand for power. However, the House bill rescinds billions of dollars that the Inflation Reduction Act, enacted in 2022, devoted to boosting domestic manufacturing and deployments of renewable energy and batteries. It would terminate tax credits for manufacturing for the wind industry in 2028 and for solar and batteries in 2032. That would disrupt the boom in domestic manufacturing projects that was being stimulated by the Inflation Reduction Act. Deployments would be hit even harder. Wind, solar, geothermal, and battery projects would need to commence construction within 60 days of passage of the bill to receive tax credits. In addition, the bill would deny tax credits to projects that use Chinese-made components. Financial analysts have called those provisions ' unworkable,' since some Chinese materials may be necessary even for projects built with as much domestic content as possible. Analysts warn that the House bill would cut new wind, solar, and battery installations by 20% compared with the growth that had been expected without the bill. That's why BloombergNEF, an energy research firm, called the bill a ' nightmare scenario ' for clean energy proponents. However, one person's nightmare may be another man's dream. 'We're constraining the hell out of wind and solar, which is good,' said Representative Chip Roy, a Texas Republican backed by the oil and gas industry. Efficiency and electric cars Cuts fall even harder on Americans who are trying to reduce their carbon footprints and energy costs. The bill repeals aid for home efficiency improvements such as heat pumps, efficient windows, and energy audits. Homeowners would also lose tax credits for installing solar panels and batteries. For vehicles, the bill would not only repeal tax credits for electric cars, trucks, and chargers, but it also would impose a federal $250 annual fee on vehicles, on top of fees that some states charge electric-car owners. The federal fee is more than the gas taxes paid by other drivers to fund highways and ignores air-quality and climate effects. Combined, the lost credits and increased fees could cut projected U.S. sales of electric vehicles by 40% in 2030, according to modeling by Jesse Jenkins of Princeton University. Nuclear power Meanwhile, the bill partially retains a tax credit for electricity from existing nuclear power plants. Those plants may not need the help: Electricity demand is surging, and companies like Meta are signing long-term deals for nuclear energy to power data centers. Nuclear plants are also paid to manage their radioactive waste, since the country lacks a permanent place to store it. For new nuclear plants, the bill would move up the deadline to 2028 to begin construction. That deadline is too soon for some new reactor designs and would rush the vetting of others. Nuclear safety regulators are awaiting a study from the National Academies on the weapons proliferation risks of the type of uranium fuel that some developers hope to use in newer designs. Biofuels While cutting funding for electric vehicles, the bill would spend $45 billion to extend tax credits for biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. Food-based biofuels do little good for the climate because growing, harvesting, and processing crops requires fertilizers, pesticides, and fuel. The bill would allow forests to be cut to make room for crops because it directs agencies to ignore the impacts of biofuels on land use. Hydrogen The bill would end tax credits for hydrogen production. Without that support, companies will be unlikely to invest in the seven so-called hydrogen hubs that were allocated a combined $8 billion under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021. Those hubs aim to attract $40 billion in private investments and create tens of thousands of jobs while developing cleaner ways to make hydrogen. The repealed tax credits would have subsidized hydrogen made emissions-free by using renewable or nuclear electricity to split water molecules. They also would have subsidized hydrogen made from natural gas with carbon capture, whose benefits are impaired by methane emissions from natural gas systems and incomplete carbon capture. However it's made, hydrogen is no panacea. As the world's smallest molecule, hydrogen is prone to leaking, which can pose safety challenges and indirectly warm the climate. And while hydrogen is essential for making fertilizers and potentially useful for making steel or aviation fuels, vehicles and heating are more efficiently powered by electricity than by hydrogen. Still, European governments and China are investing heavily in hydrogen production.
