Louisiana
Some Louisiana patients struggle to fill reproductive care prescriptions under new drug law • Louisiana Illuminator
A Lafayette woman needed to get a uterine polyp removed so that she could get pregnant. A woman from northwest Louisiana and another from New Orleans wanted to take long-term birth control measures
What do these three women have in common? They all need misoprostol to soften their cervix before undergoing routine medical procedures, and they all faced challenges trying to fill their prescriptions.
A new law reclassifying misoprostol and mifepristone as controlled dangerous substances took effect Oct. 1 in Louisiana. The medications were reclassified because they can be used in medication abortions, but they have several other prescribed uses. Misoprostol is often used ahead of medical procedures to soften the cervix and when women bleed profusely after delivery.
The new designation requires medical facilities and pharmacies to securely store the drugs and closely record their dispensing and use.
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In May, Gov. Jeff Landry approved a bill from state Sen. Thomas Pressly, a Shreveport Republican, to reclassify the drugs. Since then, doctors have voiced concerns that the law could lead to delays of care for patients, both in hospital settings and for outpatient procedures.
Misoprostol has already been pulled off of postpartum hemorrhage carts in Louisiana and locked away in medical cabinets outside of patient rooms.
A New Orleans-area OB-GYN spoke Friday with the Illuminator about an experience she had with a patient earlier in the day that began the night prior. She asked that her name not be used because her employer did not grant her permission to speak with a reporter.
“I had set her up for an office hysteroscopy to remove [a uterine] polyp. But in preparation for that, she needed to take a medication called misoprostol in order to help open her cervix up so that I could do the procedure more safely and more comfortably,” the doctor said.
The patient was traveling from Lafayette for a minimally invasive medical procedure, and the doctor called in a misoprostol prescription a few days ahead of the procedure. But when the patient went to pick it up Thursday night at her local pharmacy, she was informed her prescription couldn’t be filled.
“She’s just trying to get this procedure done in order to get pregnant,” the doctor said, exasperated. “They told her they do not carry the medication at all anymore. She was very upset.”
An independent pharmacy shifts protocol
Reached for comment Friday, a pharmacist at the Lafayette drug store explained he hasn’t regularly stocked misoprostol for a decade because his small independent drugstore does not see a lot of demand for the drug. When they receive a prescription for misoprostol, they usually get the medication – often just one or two pills – from a larger pharmacy nearby.
But when the pharmacist went to do that in this case, he was told the drug was a controlled substance, and this was no longer an option because of how the medication needs to be counted.
The Louisiana Board of Pharmacy, the profession’s state regulatory body, mentioned the new law in their July newsletter, and the state health department sent guidelines on the new law to pharmacies in early September. The Lafayette pharmacist admitted he had not been aware of them until this week.
The Illuminator is not identifying pharmacists or small businesses in this story for security reasons.
“Sometimes pharmacies may borrow from one another. But it being a controlled substance, you can’t do that,” the Lafayette pharmacist said. “You’d have to replace it with the exact same medication.”
The pharmacist said this means he will no longer fill misoprostol prescriptions, as it does not make sense for him economically because he rarely gets requests for it.
The OB-GYN sent the prescription Friday morning to a New Orleans-area Walmart pharmacist, suspecting it would be easier to access at a chain pharmacy. But when the patient showed up, she was told the medication was not available.
“She was like, ‘This is ridiculous,’”the doctor said. “She had to drive to all these places — she’s chasing it.”
The doctor then called fellow OB-GYNs in the area to find out if there were specific pharmacies they have used recently to fill misoprostol prescriptions. She eventually reached a local CVS that had the medication in stock. The patient’s procedure was delayed until later in the day because the doctor said she was fortunate to have flexibility in her schedule to accommodate the change.
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However, the doctor said she was frustrated that she, her staff and the patient had to dedicate time to hunting down the medication, which is on the World Health Organization’s core list of essential medicines.
Louisiana is the only state to designate misoprostol and mifepristone controlled dangerous substances, a designation most often used for highly addictive painkillers.
“This has such a huge impact on our practice,” she said. She plans to talk to her employer about whether or not they need to adjust their protocols to store the medication onsite.
Major pharmacies insist they haven’t changed policy
A pharmacist at the New Orleans-area Walmart where the patient was unable to get her misoprostol prescription filled told the Illuminator late Friday afternoon the medication was not currently in stock but could be ordered and delivered from another pharmacy with the correct diagnosis code — a process that usually takes a day.
Corporate representatives for Walmart did not respond to requests for comment.
Amy Thibault, a CVS spokeswoman, said Louisiana’s new regulations haven’t affected how the pharmacy chain handles the targeted drugs.
“There’s been no impact to misoprostol supply or how we stock the medication due to the state law,” Thibault said.
A Walgreens spokesman said the company has had no issues with the supply of misoprostol to any of its Louisiana stores.
“There has been no change in policy” since the new law took effect, Fraser Engerman said. “Stock is based on sales at each of our stores. If there is low volume at a store, it can be ordered for next-day delivery to the store.”
‘Women are not safe in Louisiana’: New Orleans leaders want pregnancy care drug law reversed
Dr. Nicole Freehill, New Orleans OB-GYN, said obtaining misoprostol was challenging immediately after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, effectively ending elective abortions in the state of Louisiana.
“We did encounter push back immediately after … but that improved over time and working with pharmacists directly to reassure them we were not prescribing it for ‘illegal’ uses,” Freehill said in a text message. “I am fearful this new law will destroy a lot of that work.”
On Sept. 30, Freehill said she encouraged a patient with an upcoming intrauterine device (IUD) insertion to fill her misoprostol prescription that day — before the new law took effect Oct. 1 — in case of any confusion. But when Freehill sent the prescription to a pharmacy, she said the patient’s insurance provider requested prior authorization.
“Prior authorization is another level an insurance company puts in place, often due to the cost of a medication or service, it’s usually for brand-name drugs or imaging like MRIs,” Freehill said. “I have never seen one for misoprostol, neither had the pharmacist that I talked to.”
The patient was able to obtain the prescription but had to pay out of pocket for it in order to avoid waiting for the prior authorization, said Freehill, who reported the issue to the New Orleans Health Department. City health director Dr. Jennifer Avegno is conducting an impact study on the new law to determine if it’s leading to care delays or difficulties.
Avegno described the new state law as a “poorly conceived, medically and scientifically baseless law” and said she’s heard from patients and providers across the state about outpatient access to misoprostol being “delayed and denied.” The reasons behind the barriers they face are varied and include pharmacies no longer carrying the medication as well as prolonged waits for prescriptions to be processed, she said.
“As hundreds of health care professionals have warned for months, this has disrupted women’s ability to have routine procedures, manage miscarriages, and even receive fertility treatments,” Avegno said.
‘It’s really frustrating’
An obstetrician in northwest Louisiana, who requested anonymity because her hospital did not give her permission to speak with a reporter, said she had a patient who faced challenges procuring misoprostol last week.
“I couldn’t get a single pharmacy in [my area] to dispense misoprostol for an IUD insertion,” the doctor said.
The OB explained that prior to May, she hadn’t had issues calling in misoprostol prescriptions the day before a procedure. She submitted the prescription in question Tuesday for a procedure the next day.
Doctors criticize misoprostol guidance from Louisiana Department of Health: ‘It’s not helpful’
“Usually the pharmacies would have the medicine the next day or make adjustments pending dosage availability,” she explained, saying that in her experience pharmacists can often get deliveries secured overnight.
The patient was able to fill her accompanying Valium prescription, according to her doctor, but four area pharmacies the patient called told her they did not have misoprostol in stock. One family-owned pharmacy told the patient they were no longer carrying it, her doctor said The patient ended up getting the procedure without misoprostol.
The doctor said she had her staff follow up with five pharmacies in the area and said none had it readily available. Only two offered to order the medication.
Now the doctor said she is considering steps to keep misoprostol in her office so that she can dispense it to patients herself, hours ahead of a procedure.
“I counsel these patients on the pain they might experience with IUD insertion and offer them ways to mitigate it. So it’s really frustrating when I can’t hold up my end of the bargain,” the physician said.
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If you’ve experienced challenges seeking reproductive health care in Louisiana, particularly if you are in a rural area, we’d love to hear from you. Please fill out this secure form or contact our reporter at lorenaoneil.64 on Signal, an encrypted messaging app.
The Louisiana State Police has issued a Silver Alert on behalf of the Monroe Police Department for 67-year-old Blanche Thomas McGhee. She was discovered missing from her residence on Harrison Street today, at approximately 10:11 a.m. The Louisiana State Police received the request to issue a Silver Alert at approximately 1:49 p.m.
McGhee has brown eyes and black hair. She is 5’5” and weighs approximately 199 pounds. Family reports that McGhee has a medical condition that may impair her judgment.
McGhee is believed to be driving a silver 2018 Toyota RAV4 bearing Louisiana license plate 343JVI.
Anyone with information regarding McGhee’s whereabouts is asked to immediately contact the Monroe Police Department at (318) 329-2600 or dial 911. All questions should be directed to the Monroe Police Department.
Watch Shreveport Regional Airport announce new gate, flights
Shreveport Regional Airport unveils a newly renovated Gate 8, launches a visitor pass, and announces new flights.
Shreveport soon will officially be known as the Stuffed Shrimp Capital of Louisiana, a city that traces the origins of the delicacy to the historic Freeman & Harris Cafe, which was one of the oldest Black-owned restaurants before it closed permanently in 2006.
House Bill 9 by Democratic Shreveport Rep. Joy Walters cleared the Senate May 26 on a unanimous 36-0 vote and will become law with Gov. Jeff Landry’s signature.
“We don’t talk enough about the positive things that happen in Shreveport,” Walters said in an interview with USA Today Network. “It’s exciting for me to be able to amplify our culinary and hospitality reputation.”
Though Freeman & Harris closed, its legacy is carried on by family-connected restaurants like Eddie’s Seafood and Soulfood and Orlandeaux’s Cafe. Eddie’s was named one of the “Best Soul Food Restaurants in the South” by Southern Living in 2015.
Walters said her favorites are the Freeman & Harris Cafe legacy restaurants Eddie’s and Orlandeaux’s, but many eateries offer the Shreveport-style stuffed shrimp in the city.
Democratic Shreveport Sen. Sam Jenkins carried the bill for Walters in the Senate on Tuesday, where he told colleagues this was their chance to vote for “the tastiest and most delicious bill of the Session.”
“It’s a big deal in Shreveport,” Jenkins told USA Today Network.
Like Walters, Jenkins said his top spots for the dish are Eddie’s and Orlandeaux’s.
Shreveport also plays host to the annual Stuffed Shrimp Festival each spring.
Visit Shreveport-Bossier promotes the dish, describing Shreveport-style stuffed shrimp as “large, succulent shrimp are stuffed with fiery Creole dressing, deep-fried and served with a spicy tartar sauce.”
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
A woman from Maryland detained by ICE last year told News4 conditions are challenging inside the detention center where she’s been held since August.
Maryland does not have ICE detention centers, so detained immigrants are sent to detention centers in other states. That includes Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana, which has faced complaints in the past about detainee care and facility conditions.
“Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
“I miss my family,” Damaris Gomez-Laurens said from inside Richwood. “They treat us like a, like a criminal. I feel like that. I feel like that.”
Gomez-Laurens called her family one day when the News4 I-Team visited them in Maryland. The signal was unstable, going in and out. Those detained have to pay for the calls. This one cost just over $3.
The I-Team’s asked Gomez-Laurens what it has been like being away from her husband and two sons.
“It’s really hard,” she said. “We’ve never been separated. And I have more than seven months without them.”
Gomez-Laurens lived a full life in Prince George’s County for more than 20 years. Pictures provided by the family tell the story of a mom surrounded by her husband, their boys and extended relatives.
“Without her, these past holidays were tough, very difficult – not having her and thinking what she was going through by herself too,” said her niece Heisy Garcia. “She’s the key part of our family. She keep us together too.”
Garcia said her aunt was detained during her annual ICE probation check-in in Baltimore. She had a work permit and operated an electrical business with her husband, Garcia said. She has no criminal record and has been trying to become a legal citizen since 2014, according to Garcia.
The detention has cost her family both emotionally and financially.
“Just her own attorney that she files for emergency stays, for her appeal to reopen her immigration case, you’re talking about from $5,000 to $6,000,” Garcia said. “Now, going through consultations from attorney to attorney, it’s $500 at each consultation. And then having a different attorney in another state, that’s another $6,000.”
Visiting is hard because the facility is almost 1,000 miles away. The family told News4 their trip to Richwood earlier this year was tough for other reasons too.
“After months of not seeing her, so, we hugged her and one of the officers start yelling ‘Stop! Stop! You can only hug her for 10 seconds!’” Garcia said. “I was like, ‘10 seconds? They told us three minutes.’”
‘Worst of the worst’
The family told us they visited during the snowstorm that hit in January, leading to problems at the facility.
“It seems like the pipe burst and they were without water for 48 hours,” said Garcia.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the I-Team in a statement:“Due to the freezing temperatures in January 2026, there was an issue with the water supply for a short period of time and, like always, ICE was prepared for this contingency. Bottled water was immediately issued, and portable water tanks were introduced to enable proper cycling of toilets. Detainees were NOT made to wait 48 hours for water and were given access to water bottles immediately.”
During the video phone call, Gomez-Laurens discussed other challenges. “The bathroom is really bad conditions. They always wet, because they are always leaking. Leaking, leaking. Always is wet,” she said.
“Richwood, I think, is the worst of the worst,” said Vincent Rivas Flores, an immigration attorney with Amica Center for Immigrant Rights.
He told the I-Team he’s heard complaints about cleanliness and other issues from clients from Maryland who also are detained at Richwood.
“For months, my clients have told me that there has been mold problems in the bathrooms and the toilets and the showers,” he said.
According to a 2023 DHS office of inspector general report, inspectors found health and safety violations, including poor housing conditions and unclean showers. DHS said it addressed these issues with renovations.
“So much can change if Richwood actually listened to the complaints. These complaints are not new,” said Rivas Flores.
The OIG report also noted that Richwood restricted detainees’ access to legal visitation and calls without providing justification.
ICE said it complies with all standards and logs whether any restrictions have to be made.
“Sometimes I will not be able to talk to my clients for several days, unless they call me. And if they’re calling me, they have to use their own account. They have to use their money in order to make that phone call, and it’s not a private call,” said Rivas Flores.
The I-Team asked him what he thinks Richwood can do to improve things.
“The number one thing that they can do is fix the food,” he said. “That’s probably the first thing that can do, and it almost certainly would be the easiest.”
Gomez-Laurens also talked about the food.
“The food is not really good. Since I came in I have, I don’t have any fruit, real fruit,” she said. “We stay one week with bologna sandwich. One bologna, two piece of bread, and cookie or chips for a week, lunch and dinner.”
DHS responded via statement, telling the I-Team: “All detainees are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, and toiletries, and have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers. Certified dieticians evaluate meals. It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. This is the best healthcare than many aliens have received in their entire lives.”
Gomez-Laurens spoke to the I-Team from the room where she sleeps. The I-Team asked how many people often share the room.
“100. Now it’s 93, I think. Sometimes we have around 108,” said Gomez-Laurens.
Gomez-Laurens told News4 she ended up at Richwood after flying from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Maryland to Alexandria International Airport in Louisiana. While we don’t know how many others from Maryland are there, according to data collected from the ICE Flights Monitor project almost 60% of all ICE flights from Maryland since January 2025 were bound for Alexandria. That’s 91 flights through April of this year.
A local father shot by ICE officers during a Christmas Eve arrest in Glen Burnie is now pleading guilty to a federal charge and at risk of deportation.
‘Everything is coming down’
While Gomez-Lauren’s case is still going through the court system, her husband, Kevin Gomez, worries about the impact her absence is having, especially on their two young sons.
“Sometimes they demonstrate rebelliousness or they don’t want to do the things they usually did before,” he told our Telemundo 44 partners in Spanish.
He’s concerned about what happens next, including possible deportation.
“After so many years of living in this country, having many things built together, it’s like everything is coming down, and she has 20 years in this country, practically a life made. You have to return to a country that maybe you don’t know,” said Gomez.
Meanwhile, Gomez-Laurens’ family said she’s earned a nickname among the women in detention. They call her “Pastor.” She holds Bible studies and spends money sent by her family on higher-quality food from the commissary to feed the women during the holidays.
She said faith and hope are what sustains her.
“I’m preaching in this place. I know God has hope and that I really have hope on God,” she said. “I’m trusting him, and his justice. He will make justice. I know.”
The DHS spokesperson told the I-Team in a written statement: “Nearly every single day, DHS responds to media questions on FALSE allegations about ICE detention facilities. Any allegations of inhumane conditions are false. […] ICE has higher detention standards than most US prisons that hold actual US citizens.”
Richwood is a private facility. News4 also reached out to the company that runs Richwood for ICE, LaSalle Corrections, but has not heard back.
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