Louisiana’s first-in-the-nation law listing the abortion medications mifepristone and misoprostol as “controlled dangerous substances” took effect Tuesday, triggering fears among health-care providers and pharmacists that routine care may be worsened for women in the state.

A new law will go into effect in Louisiana on Oct. 1 that will classify two drugs—mifepristone and misoprostol, which are commonly used for abortions, postpartum hemorrhaging, and miscarriage management—as “controlled dangerous substances.” The change is worrying doctors who say the repercussions could be life-threatening for some.

Louisiana will become the first in the United States on Tuesday to categorize two widely used abortion-inducing pills as “controlled dangerous substances.”

The Louisiana law that makes abortion medication mifepristone and misoprostol "a controlled dangerous substance" bylaw took effect Tuesday, leaving physicians' hands tied on their use.

Two drugs that can be used to induce medicated abortions are now classified as controlled substances in Louisiana as a controversial new law takes effect Oct. 1. Why it matters: Doctors have said the new restrictions will delay life-saving care for some patients.

Starting Tuesday in Louisiana, mifepristone and misoprostol will be reclassified as controlled substances in the state, making it a crime punishable by up to five years in prison to possess the drugs without a prescription.

The two drugs used in a medication abortion, mifepristone and misoprostol, are now controlled substances in Louisiana, making it a crime punishable by up to five years in prison to possess the drugs without a prescription.

But already, doctors have said, the law is impacting care. "There are unintended consequences," said Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell, a New Orleans area OB-GYN who has testified before Congress on improving maternal outcomes.