SB 388 to Clarify Penalties for Dangerous Mail-Order Abortions
By Louisiana Right to Life
BATON ROUGE – On Monday, Senate Bill 388 prohibiting the sale of chemical abortions passed the Senate Floor overwhelmingly in a 33-2 vote. If the legislation receives final passage, it will strengthen current law by clarifying that there are criminal penalties for the distribution of chemical abortion pills that come in the mail and dangerous DIY abortions without physician oversight.
The legislation, authored by State Sen. Sharon Hewitt (R-Slidell), would apply the criminal penalties to the distributor of the abortion pill, not the pregnant woman.
“Abortion businesses outside of Louisiana are selling dangerous abortion pills online and then mailing them to women to take at home without physician monitoring,” said Benjamin Clapper, Executive Director for Louisiana Right to Life. “This is incredibly dangerous because it requires no prescription, ultrasound or even pregnancy test. There is no way to rule out an ectopic pregnancy for example.”