Lawmakers in Louisiana are considering a bill that would hit back against abortion coercion via chemical abortions, and abortion advocates are angry about it.
Senate Bill 276 was introduced by State Senator Thomas Pressly in honor of his sister, Catherine Herring, whose husband, Mason Herring, slipped abortion pills into her drink without her consent. Their child survived, though she was born premature, uses a feeding tube to eat, and requires multiple therapies. “She is a special needs child,” Catherine said. “Every day is a struggle for her. This impacts us on a daily basis, even now.” Mason was sentenced to just six months in prison despite attempting to end the preborn baby’s life seven times, a sentence which Catherine harshly criticized. She testified alongside Pressly at a recent Louisiana legislative hearing in favor of the bill.
Under the bill, anyone found guilty of using abortion pills to coerce a woman into an abortion would now face five to 10 years in prison and a fine of $10,000 to $75,000; the penalties would rise to 10 to 20 years in prison and $50,000 to $100,000 fines if the woman is three months pregnant (or greater).
The bill is now facing controversy, however, as an amendment also makes it a crime to possess abortion pills — but only under specific and limited circumstances.
Rolling Stone claimed, “[I]t appears to be designed to target people who might stockpile abortion pills ahead of their own pregnancy, or the pregnancy of their friends and family members. Health care workers worry the legislation will make it more difficult to do their jobs.” Yet the bill specifically includes an exemption for pregnant women “for her own consumption,” and makes it clear that the effort is aimed at those who obtain abortion pills fraudulently. As the text of the amendment says (emphasis added):
It is unlawful for any person knowingly or intentionally to possess a controlled dangerous substance classified in Schedule IV unless such substance was obtained directly or pursuant to a valid prescription or order from a practitioner, or as provided in R.S. 40:978, while acting in the course of his professional practice or except as otherwise authorized by this Part.
It very clearly is meant to address people who get the pills themselves, yet not for their own use, and being tied to a bill fighting against coerced abortion makes the intention plain. “Under this law, or any abortion law, in Louisiana, we see the woman as often the second victim,” Dorinda Plaisance, a lawyer who works with Louisiana Right to Life, told WWNO. “And so Louisiana has chosen to criminalize abortion providers. And that’s where we go with this bill as well.”
It has become common for the media to pretend that abortion coercion through mail-order abortion businesses is something that simply does not happen — but as Herring and countless other women can attest, internet abortion businesses make it even easier for abusive partners and family members to force women into abortions they do not want. Louisiana is taking a step towards fighting back – and that should be applauded, not derided.
