BATON ROUGE, La. – State Senator Thomas Pressly pre-filed Senate Bill (SB) 276, the Abortion By Fraud Criminalization Act last week ahead of the 2024 Regular Legislative Session. Pressly says he filed the legislation in response to an experience that dramatically impacted his sister and his family.

“Many people around the country have recently read about my sister, Catherine Herring, who was poisoned by her now soon to be ex-husband with a drug that contained the abortion inducing drug misoprostol, with the intent of aborting their child,” said Senator Pressly. “Thankfully, with the help of the abortion pill reversal regimen, my niece is alive today.”

“The evidence in the case against Mason Herring was incredibly strong. However, the Harris County (Houston) District Attorney failed to provide justice for our family and hold Mason accountable,” explained Pressly. “The court accepted a plea deal where Mason was sentenced to 180 days in county jail for attempting to kill his unborn child six times. This is simply unacceptable. Furthermore, the fact that a man could obtain an abortion pill without a prescription or doctor’s visit is a clear sign that the illegal distribution of abortion pills is out of control.”

SB276 would ensure Louisiana has strong laws with serious consequences in place to hold the person accountable and secure justice for women according to Pressly. Additionally, the legislation takes action to include the illegal sale of abortion-inducing drugs as a predicate offense in Louisiana racketeering laws so companies and individuals can be held accountable for making profit off of women facing difficult situations.

“We must do everything in our power to protect our citizens, both pregnant women and unborn children,” said Pressly. “I look forward to working with my legislative colleagues on both sides of the political aisle to pass this legislation during the upcoming legislative session.”