A New York doctor who prescribed abortion pills to out-of-state patients has been criminally charged in Louisiana and fined $100,000 in Texas.
On February 13, an arrest warrant was issued in Louisiana for Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter, founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, after a grand jury indicted her for allegedly prescribing abortion pills online to a pregnant minor.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has vowed to ignore any extradition order, while Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has declared that justice would be served—setting up a potential legal battle over state sovereignty. The case could challenge New York’s shield laws, which protect abortion providers and patients from legal actions originating in states where abortion is restricted or banned.
“Prescribing safe abortion medication is legal under the laws of [New York],” Hochul said.
In a YouTube video announcing the signing of the extradition warrant, Louisiana Governor Landry said Carpenter prescribed abortion pills to a young woman who was excited to have a baby and was even planning a gender reveal party.
“Her mom conspired with a New York doctor to get a chemical abortion pill in the mail and [forced] that minor to take it,” the governor said. “This minor ended up in the hospital. This pill ended up ending her pregnancy and that baby’s life. There’s only one right answer in this situation…the doctor must face extradition to Louisiana where she can stand. Trial and justice will be served. We owe that to the minor and to the people of this state who stand by life overwhelmingly.”
In December, Carpenter was fined $100,000 by the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for prescribing abortion pills in that state. Paxton sued Carpenter for unlawfully providing a Collin County resident with abortion-inducing drugs that ended the life of an unborn child and resulted in serious complications for the mother.
Dr. Carpenter knowingly treated Texas residents despite not being a licensed Texas physician and not being authorized to practice telemedicine in Texas, said Paxton.
“In this case, an out-of-state doctor violated the law and caused serious harm to this patient,” he said. “This doctor prescribed abortion-inducing drugs—unauthorized, over telemedicine—causing her patient to end up in the hospital with serious complications. In Texas, we treasure the health and lives of mothers and babies, and this is why out-of-state doctors may not illegally and dangerously prescribe abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents.”
Carpenter will not face criminal charges in Texas, but could face serious jail time in Louisiana. A grand jury indicted the doctor for the charge of Criminal Abortion by Means of Abortion-Inducing Drugs. According to Associated Press, Louisiana’s abortion ban allows doctors convicted of performing abortions, including one with pills, to be sentenced up to 15 years in prison and fined up to $200,000.
In a statement, Louisiana Right to Life applauded the indictment of Carpenter, saying the physician should be held accountable for her reckless actions.
“Louisiana Right to Life is deeply grieved by the harm Dr. Carpenter’s actions caused in this young girl’s life and the death of her unborn baby. It appears evident that the courageous minor had every intent of raising her baby as she had a reveal party planned. Now, instead of celebrating birthdays with her child, she’s left with the grief from the death of her baby and the continued reminder of the abuse she experienced throughout the inevitably upcoming court process.”