Doctor

BATON ROUGE, La. — A legal challenge against a first-of-its-kind measure that recategorized two widely used abortion-inducing drugs as “controlled dangerous substances” in Louisiana can move forward, a judge ruled Thursday.

Baton Rouge-based Judge Jewel Welch denied the Louisiana attorney general’s request to dismiss a lawsuit filed last year by opponents of the law, who argue that the reclassification of the pills is unconstitutional and could cause needless and potentially life-threatening delays in treatment during medical emergencies.

Attorneys for defendants in the suit, including Atty. Gen. Liz Murrill, argued that the lawsuit was premature. But attorneys for the plaintiffs, who include a doctor and pharmacist, said that since the law took effect in October, the measure has impacted how the plaintiffs handle and obtain the drugs on a “regular basis.”

A hearing date for the challenge has not yet been set.

Louisiana became the first state to heighten the classification of misoprostol and mifepristone, which have critical reproductive healthcare uses in addition to being used as a two-drug regimen to end pregnancies.

Passage of the measure by the GOP-dominated Legislature marked a new approach in conservative efforts to restrict access to abortion pills. In 2023, nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the country were medication abortions.

Now labeled as “Schedule IV drugs,” the pills are in the same category as the opioid tramadol and other substances that can be addictive. Under the new classification, there are more stringent storage requirements and extra steps to obtain the drugs. Testifying against the legislation, doctors stressed the drugs would be stored in locked containers or elsewhere that may result in slower access during emergency situations where every second is vital.

In the legal challenge, which was filed in October, plaintiffs say the law may slow access to “lifesaving treatment for people experiencing obstetrical emergencies” and make it “significantly harder” for people to “obtain proven, effective remedies necessary for their treatment and care.” Plaintiffs are asking the judge for a permanent injunction, ultimately to halt the law.

The legislation spawned from antiabortion groups and a Republican state senator’s effort to prevent coerced abortion and make it more difficult for bad actors to obtain the drugs. The lawmaker pointed to the case of his sister in Texas who in 2022 was slipped seven misoprostol pills by her husband without her knowledge; she and the baby survived. Over the past 15 years, news outlets have reported on similar cases — none in Louisiana — but the issue does not appear widespread.

“The Louisiana Legislature spoke loud and clear last year that they stand for life and are against this controlled substance being prescribed without a prescription from a doctor,” Murrill said ahead of the hearing.

Prior to the reclassification, a prescription was still needed to obtain mifepristone and misoprostol in Louisiana. Before the change, medical personnel told the Associated Press that in hospitals the drugs — which are also used to treat miscarriages, induce labor and stop bleeding — were often stored in an OB-GYN unit in a “hemorrhage box” in the room, on the delivery table or in a nurse’s pocket, to ensure almost-immediate access in common emergency situations.

With the heightened classification also comes increased charges. If someone knowingly possesses mifepristone or misoprostol without a valid prescription for any purpose, they could be fined up to $5,000 and sent to jail for one to five years. The law carves out protections for pregnant women who obtain the drug without a prescription to take on their own.

Other plaintiffs in the lawsuit include the Birthmark Doula Collective, an organization of people trained to provide pregnancy care before, during and after birth; Nancy Davis, a woman who was denied an abortion in Louisiana and traveled out of state for one after learning her fetus would not survive; and a woman who said she was turned away from two emergency rooms instead of being treated for a miscarriage.

Louisiana currently has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, which includes abortions via medication.

Cline writes for the Associated Press.

Rylan Clark will appear in a Eurovision Song Contest themed episode of Doctor Who on the weekend ahead of the BBC airing the grand final of this year’s actual contest

Presenter Rylan Clark has spoken about keeping his role on Doctor Who a secret. It comes ahead of him appearing as the host of a fictional version of the Eurovision Song Contest out in space in an episode of the BBC show.

The Interstellar Song Contest episode will air on Saturday, ahead of the final of this year’s Eurovision, which is taking place in Basel, Switzerland, later that night. The news of his involvement was announced two months ago but Rylan, 36 – who previously said he was left in tears after being offered the role – has revealed that he tried to keep it a secret for a year.

Speaking to PA news agency, Rylan said: “It was so hard to keep the secret, and I’ve been sat on it for a year.” He’s shared that he managed to only disclose the news to some “key” individuals. He said ahead of the episode airing this weekend: “I told a few key people who had to know but we’ve really kept it super private.”

Speaking about his role, Rylan revealed that he plays himself but added elements of the Hunger Games character Caesar Flickerman, who was played by Stanley Tucci in the film series. That character, who’s considered an eccentric presenter, interviews the tributes and commentates on the Hunger Games, which see children fight to the death in an arena. Rylan said: “I played myself but also added a bit of Caesar from the Hunger Games for good measure.”

Teasing an unbelievable experience for fans, Rylan said the episode is “out of this world” with several twists, while still paying homage to the real-life song contest that it imitates. He hinted: “People can expect to see everything they love about Doctor Who. Also, from working on actual Eurovision itself, there were so many similarities – the attention to detail was amazing.” He added: “Expect the unexpected – it’s probably the most twisty one of the whole season.”

Ncuti Gatwa, 32, who rose to fame on Netflix‘s Sex Education, plays the Doctor in the latest season of Doctor Who. The actor is joined by co-star Varada Sethu, 33, as companion Belinda Chandra in the new season, which is currently airing.

Writer Juno Dawson, 43, has recalled being approached by the show’s producer Russell T Davies, 62, for the episode. She said: “In 2022, Russell asked how I would feel about doing Die Hard meets Eurovision. I couldn’t turn that down.

“Russell initially pitched the bare bones concept of Eurovision meets Die Hard, which were two things I knew really well. Then, I went away and pitched a plot, and it hasn’t really changed all that much.

“Obviously, there was a lot of discussion between myself, the producers and Russell. But it’s still those two things. What would happen if an enemy faction planned an attack on the Eurovision Song Contest in space?”

Juno, whose books include This Book Is Gay and Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, described the upcoming episode as reminiscent of a “disaster movie”, but with the quintessential campiness Eurovision is celebrated for. She said of the episode: “It’s like a disaster movie. I think people are certainly going to expect it to be … let’s just say camp. I mean of course it is, it’s the Interstellar Song Contest. But also, it’s action-packed. It doesn’t let up for a second. It’s a really high-octane episode.

“But also, it’s action-packed. It doesn’t let up for a second. It’s a really high-octane episode. In places it’s quite harrowing. I think the best science fiction and fantasy should always have something to say about the world. While being an absolute romp on a space station, these are characters caught in an extraordinary situation that I hope people will feel on an emotional level as well.”

The episode will air ahead of group Remember Monday representing the UK at this year’s Eurovision with their song What The Hell Just Happened? Rylan will present live commentary of the final for BBC Radio 2 with Scott Mills, 52. The pair will also host coverage of the prior semi-finals tomorrow and Thursday on BBC One.

Doctor Who continues 7.10pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday night. It will be followed by the Eurovision Song Contest final at 8pm that night. The semi-finals will air tomorrow and Thursday from 8pm.

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