Louisiana governor signs abortion pill ‘reversal’ bill

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) signed into law a Republican-backed bill requiring that doctors administering abortions in the state inform patients that they may stop the pregnancy termination process halfway through taking the abortion pill.

The legislation, which was previously passed overwhelmingly by the GOP-dominated Louisiana state legislature, was one of several bills signed into law by the anti-abortion Democratic governor on Friday.

The new law states promotes the distribution of details on “reversing” a medication-induced abortion, a claim which has been disputed and which professional groups like the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say is not backed by scientific evidence.

The drug regimen includes two drugs, with mifepristone taken first and misoprostol taken later. The nonsurgical abortion is available to patients during the first nine weeks of pregnancy.

The newly signed Louisiana law is scheduled to take effect Aug. 1.

“We did this through bipartisan cooperation and compromise,” Edwards said in a tweeted statement. “As we have proven time and time again, the people of Louisiana are best served when all of us put aside our differences and focus on projects, programs and progress for all.”

But similar law blocked: The law comes despite the fact that a federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a similar Indiana law that had required medical providers share information on “reversing” a pill-induced abortion.

U.S. District Court Judge James Patrick Hanlon said in his ruling that abortion-rights groups that filed a lawsuit against the Indiana measure had “a reasonable likelihood of success” on their argument that forcing health care providers to detail specific information violates their free speech rights.