A New York doctor, Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter, was indicted by a Louisiana grand jury on Friday for allegedly prescribing the abortion pill online to a teenager. This case is believed to be the first of its kind since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. If convicted of criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs, Dr. Carpenter could face up to five years in prison under a new law passed by Shreveport Republican state Sen. Thomas Pressly last year.
Louisiana has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, without exceptions for rape and incest. Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill stated that her agency investigated the case and brought it to District Attorney Tony Clayton for prosecution. Murrill emphasized that it is illegal to send abortion pills to the state and to coerce someone into having an abortion.
In response, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul stated that her state would not comply with an extradition request. New York has a shield law in place to protect providers from out-of-state investigations and prosecutions related to providing abortion pills to patients. Hochul highlighted that Louisiana is attempting to prosecute a New York doctor for providing reproductive health care and expressed her commitment to protecting patients and doctors.
Dr. Carpenter is a co-founder of the New York nonprofit, the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine. The situation has gained attention nationally, as Shreveport Senator’s bill made abortion pills controlled substances, marking a significant development in abortion legislation.
Greg Hilburn, covering state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana, originally reported on this story.
