Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Thursday against a New York doctor who prescribed abortion pills to a Texas woman via telemedicine — a practice that is illegal in the state.
According to the suit, Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter of New York illegally prescribed the abortion drugs, mailing them to a 20-year-old woman in Collin County, Texas. Carpenter, who is not licensed to practice in Texas, is the founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, a group that helps distribute the abortion pill in states where the killing of preborn children is illegal. According to the Texas Tribune, Carpenter is also a founding member of Hey Jane and works with Aid Access, both radically pro-abortion organizations.
Like many women who take the abortion pill, the Texas woman experienced complications, including severe bleeding after taking the drugs, and had to seek emergency medical care. She asked the father of her child for help; apparently, the man had been unaware that she was pregnant and had taken the pills.
The woman’s case represents one reason why Texas has laws in place that prohibit the mailing of abortion pills. When the abortion pill is prescribed by mail, the woman takes the drugs without the direct oversight of a doctor. This means that when she experiences complications, as this woman did, she must depend on an urgent care or emergency department for help.
READ: What my pregnancy and miscarriage taught me about abortion
Like many pro-abortion states, New York has a “shield law” meant to protect abortionists who violate the abortion laws of states that restrict abortion. This lawsuit is the first time that such a law will likely come into play, as New York officials have already come to Carpenter’s defense.
“No doctor should be punished for providing necessary care to their patients. That’s why in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision to strip away reproductive rights for American women, I worked with the Legislature to pass a shield law that protects abortion providers and patients,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “As Texas attempts to limit women’s rights, I’m committed to maintaining New York’s status as a safe harbor for all who seek abortion care, and protecting the reproductive freedom of all New Yorkers. Make no mistake: I will do everything in my power to enforce the laws of New York State.”
In the suit, Paxton requested the court place an injunction on Carpenter from continuing to distribute the abortion pill in violation of Texas law and fine her $100,000 for each violation of the law. In a press release, he defended the lawsuit.
“In this case, an out-of-state doctor violated the law and caused serious harm to this patient. This doctor prescribed abortion-inducing drugs—unauthorized, over telemedicine—causing her patient to end up in the hospital with serious complications,” he said. “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.”
Tell President Trump, RFK, Jr., Elon, and Vivek:
Stop killing America’s future. Defund Planned Parenthood NOW!
