A woman in Baton Rouge, Louisiana pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in a groundbreaking legal case involving the alleged distribution of abortion pills by a New York doctor. The woman, aged 39, is accused of obtaining the pills and giving them to her teenage daughter to terminate a pregnancy. The case has ignited a legal battle between Louisiana’s strict abortion laws and New York’s shield laws.
The woman was indicted by a grand jury in West Baton Rouge for criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs, which is classified as a felony. To protect the minor’s identity, the woman has not been publicly identified. Louisiana reclassified the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled dangerous substances, leading to the charges.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists affirms the safety and effectiveness of these drugs, which have become a common method of abortion in the U.S. However, their legality and accessibility have been at the center of political and legal debates following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The woman allegedly obtained the abortion medication from New York-based Dr. Margaret Carpenter via an online questionnaire without a proper consultation. After the daughter experienced a medical emergency post-taking the pills, leading to hospital treatment, an investigation revealed the involvement of an out-of-state doctor. Both the woman and Carpenter face felony charges in Louisiana.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry issued an extradition order for Carpenter, but New York Governor Kathy Hochul refused to comply. In a separate incident, Carpenter was fined for prescribing abortion medication via telemedicine in Texas.
