Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill joined a woman who survived abortion pill poisoning in filing a bold lawsuit this week against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, demanding that it end the Biden administration’s permission for mail-order mifepristone. The state argues the FDA’s policy violates federal and state law, undermining Louisiana’s pro-life protections.
Louisiana is one of America’s most staunchly pro-life states and already bans both surgical and chemical abortion. In 2024, the state even reclassified the abortion pill regimen as a controlled dangerous substance and enacted new penalties for anyone who coerces a woman into a chemical abortion without her consent. Despite those strict bans, the lawsuit contends that federal policies have allowed abortion activists and out-of-state providers to send mifepristone into Louisiana, effectively bypassing its laws.
The suit highlights the case of Rosalie Markezich, a Louisiana woman coerced by her boyfriend into ingesting mail-ordered abortion drugs she initially resisted. Because of the drugs, she lost her child, suffered hemorrhaging, and endures lasting emotional trauma. The filing also claims that Markezich is not alone—hospitals, doctors, and pregnancy centers in Louisiana frequently treat women harmed by chemical abortions sent via mail.
Louisiana’s legal challenge argues that the Biden administration’s aggressive expansion of mail-order abortion is unlawful. The complaint accuses federal actors of redefining FDA regulations beyond Congress’s intent, effectively enabling the shipment of abortion drugs into states that prohibit them. In doing so, the suit says, the FDA is directly contravening Louisiana’s sovereignty and its commitment to protecting unborn life.
The lawsuit arrives at a tense moment. The FDA recently approved a generic version of mifepristone, even as safety and regulation concerns swirl. Meanwhile, 51 U.S. senators have called on federal agencies to pause abortion-pill regulatory changes while comprehensive reviews are conducted. Louisiana’s filing places itself squarely in that debate, pressing that courts—federal and state—must rein in executive overreach and restore authority to states to defend life.
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