CNN's Brianna Keilar takes no prisoners as GOP lawmaker outlines plan to outlaw pill
CNN's Brianna Keilar put Louisiana state Sen. Thomas Pressly on the defensive Friday during an interview in which she grilled him about his state's controversial, first-in-the-nation bill that's likely to criminalize the possession of mifepristone and misoprostol, two medications commonly used for nonsurgical abortions, without a prescription for a non-abortion purpose.
Louisiana already has a total ban on abortion, and the medication has a variety of other important uses beyond abortion — from treating ulcers to assisting women in labor. Pressly, who introduced the legislation that passed the Senate and is expected to be signed by the governor, kept invoking the case of his sister, whose abusive ex-husband went to prison for repeatedly spiking her drinks with the medications to try to end her pregnancy without her consent.
"I am so sorry for what happened to your sister," said Keilar. "I do want to talk to you about what's in this bill that you did not initially include in it for the purpose of prosecuting situations like the one that your sister was in, that is going to make mifepristone and misoprostol schedule four drugs, which was similarly tacked on. Why vote for that additional piece?"
"Look, this bill is intended to ensure that doctors, nurse practitioners, and physicians assistants have the opportunity to write these medications, and they will be dispensed at pharmacies throughout the state of Louisiana, that's going to continue," said Pressly.
"So why add on that schedule four designation, which you did not initially have in the bill?" asked Keilar, later pressing him, "As I mentioned, there are additional hurdles making it a schedule four drug and the medications in particular that we're talking about here, they aren't used just for abortion. They are used for a number of other purposes when it comes to the health of women.
"So I want to run through some common medical scenarios with you that I'm sure female patients may have some concerns about. Can you unequivocally say that misoprostol will be readily available, and as quickly as before, when a woman needs it to soften her cervix for the very painful process of IUD insertion?"
"I can absolutely tell you ... they will continue to be able to prescribe the medications just as they can other scheduled drugs," said Pressly.
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"That's not my question," she shot back. "My question is not will they be able to prescribe it. Will this add other potential hurdles?"
Later in the conversation, Keilar pressed him on another issue. "Schedule four means that these drugs would be classified as dangerous, right? ... This part of it is that this is a drug that could be dangerous or misused, obviously, is the point of it being a schedule four. You also have other drugs, for instance, penicillin, that has four times the risk of death, for instance, four times higher than mifepristone. Viagra, which I think you could argue there may be some kind of side market for, ten times higher. Should they be schedule four?"
"Respectfully, I think that my sister's situation shows that these drugs in particular are used against women against their will and I'm very concerned about ensuring that again, we are maintaining the doctor-patient relationship while continuing to ensure that they are able to get the drugs for legitimate health care purposes," said Pressly.
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