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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Dr. Margaret Carpenter, a New York physician, for prescribing abortion pills to a woman in Texas via telemedicine. The lawsuit, filed in Collin County, Texas, seeks up to $250,000 in damages, alleging that Dr. Carpenter violated Texas law by prescribing the medication to a 20-year-old woman who was nine weeks pregnant. The woman reportedly experienced complications and was hospitalized, leading to the discovery of the abortion by the child's biological father.
Dr. Carpenter, co-founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, is accused of prescribing mifepristone and misoprostol, drugs commonly used for abortions up to 10 weeks. Texas law prohibits prescribing these drugs via telemedicine and requires a Texas medical license for such prescriptions.
The case marks a significant challenge to the "shield laws" enacted by Democratic-led states, which aim to protect healthcare providers who prescribe abortion pills to patients in states with strict abortion bans. These laws, adopted after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, are designed to prevent out-of-state legal actions against doctors who comply with their own state's laws. New York's shield law allows providers to countersue for damages if sued under such circumstances.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has defended the state's stance, stating that New York will remain a "safe haven for abortion access" and will protect its providers from out-of-state legal actions.