State Court to Hold Hearing in Legal Challenge to Louisiana Law Classifying Mifepristone and Misoprostol as Controlled Substances

05.12.25– (MEDIA ADVISORY) Please be advised that the Louisiana 19th Judicial District Court will hold a hearing on Thursday, May 15 starting at 9AM CT in Baton Rouge (details below) in the challenge to a Louisiana law classifying mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances.

Specifically, the hearing will address the nine exceptions filed by the defendants in the legal challenge.  More details on the exceptions can be found here and here.

Details

Louisiana 19th Judicial District Court Hearing in Birthmark v Louisiana

Thursday, May 15 starting at 9AM CT

300 North Blvd | Baton Rouge, LA 70802 | Courtroom 9B

Allison Zimmer, Litigation Counsel at the Lawyering Project, will represent the plaintiffs at oral argument. She and her co-counsel are available for media interviews.  Please contact Jennifer R Miller at JMiller@lawyeringproject.org to schedule an interview.

Case History

Birthmark v. Louisiana was filed in October 2024 and amended in January 2025  and challenges a Louisiana law (Act 246) that adds mifepristone and misoprostol to Louisiana’s Controlled Dangerous Substances (“CDS”) schedules, subjecting medical professionals and their patients to a highly regulated legal scheme that will delay access to potentially lifesaving medications.

In addition to being a safe and effective way to end a pregnancy, mifepristone and misoprostol are also used to treat a wide variety of conditions – both related and unrelated to pregnancy – including postpartum hemorrhage, miscarriage management, Cushing’s Syndrome, uterine fibroids, ovarian cancer, and gastric ulcers.

The challenge was filed by Lift Louisiana, the Lawyering Project, and Schonekas, Evans, McGoey &  McEachin, LLC on behalf of Birthmark Doula Collective, Nancy Davis, New Orleans physician Dr. Emily Holt, Kaitlyn Joshua, Shreveport pharmacist Kaylee Self, five OB-GYNs, and a Certified Nurse Midwife.

Read more about the case and hear directly from the plaintiffs in this press release.

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