June 3, 2024,
Louisiana’s Republican governor, Jeff Landry, signed a new bill into legislation: mifepristone and misoprostol, medications commonly used in abortions, will now be classified as controlled, dangerous substances. Possessing these substances without a valid prescription can result in up to ten years in prison. Now, abortion pills are considered equally as dangerous as substances such as Xanax, Valium, and other opioids.
The FDA and the medical community largely consider mifepristone and misoprostol to be safe substances; in fact, over 200 doctors in Louisiana signed a letter, begging their lawmakers to reconsider this decision, as it would create fear and confusion among people and stifle their ability to appropriately treat patients. Unfortunately, this proved to be of no avail.
The root of this new law can be traced to exactly one moment in history: Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022, in which our Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in a 6-3 vote, establishing that the right to an abortion is no longer a constitutional right and that abortion laws are now to be state regulated. Within two weeks of this decision, Louisiana and several other states brought forth one of the strictest abortion laws in history, enforcing a trigger ban that prohibits abortion entirely. Violating these regulations can result in severe civil and criminal consequences, and they are currently one of fourteen states in which abortion is entirely illegal.
Intensifying the American public’s anger regarding this decision is that three of the justices who voted to overturn the precedent were appointed by President Trump––a president who lost the popular vote and won the presidency through the Electoral College. Regardless of the fact that the majority of the country voted against him and his stated goal of overturning Roe, he was still able to accomplish it. The failed Electoral College system allowed the majority voice to be suppressed and gave the far-right the ability to capitalize on their agenda.
The overturning has continuing effects, Louisiana’s new law among them. Had the distorted Supreme Court not allowed states the freedom to regulate abortions, this law, and several others in various states that restrict abortions and reproductive healthcare, would never have come to fruition. It is likely that we will continue to see abortion and reproductive healthcare further restricted if we maintain the current system that ignores the will of the people.
Federal judges make decisions that affect our everyday lives––and they should only ever be appointed by a president who is chosen by the people.