NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill argued in a New Orleans courtroom that abortion-inducing drugs should not be shipped to Louisiana, as her legal team faced off against the FDA and major pharmaceutical companies.

Murrill says pharmaceutical companies are profiting from the illegal distribution of those drugs in the state.

"They make a lot of money off of the illegal distribution of drugs in our state," Murrill said, "and they should be joining with us to prevent the illegal distribution of these drugs in our state, especially when we have evidence of women being poisoned by these drugs."

The state's goal is to allow these drugs to be prescribed and dispensed in person only. Senior Counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights warned the case could have a reach far beyond Louisiana.

"Even in states where the people have voted to enshrine protections of abortion in their constitution, they would not be able to access abortions via mail," Hudson said.

The case has roots in West Baton Rouge, where a mother allegedly forced her teenage daughter to take abortion-inducing drugs. District Attorney Tony Clayton's office prosecuted the mother and a New York doctor for providing an abortion with drugs obtained through the mail.

In 2024, Gov. Jeff Landry signed a law reclassifying abortion drugs as controlled substances, making it illegal for a person to possess the drug without a prescription. For reproductive rights advocates, Louisiana is leading a charge that restricts abortion access even in states where it is legal.

"Keep in mind that this is all coming on the heels of the Dobbs decision, in which the Supreme Court said that each state can decide, but Louisiana, a single state, is trying to impose its opinion on all other 49 states, plus territories," Hudson said.

Murrill says she expects the case will end up before the Supreme Court, though it is unclear when that will happen.