Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on Friday against a New York doctor, accusing them of prescribing abortion pills via telemedicine to a Texas woman.
This unprecedented legal action by the Republican attorney general could serve as a test case for conservative states seeking to block abortion pills from being accessed by their residents.
Meanwhile, New York, a Democrat-led state, has implemented "shield laws" designed to protect medical professionals who provide abortion pills to patients across state lines. These laws stipulate that New York will not cooperate with efforts from other states to prosecute, sue, or penalize doctors who prescribe abortion medication, as long as they act in accordance with New York's legal framework.
“As other states move to attack those who provide or obtain abortion care, New York is proud to be a safe haven for abortion access,” stated New York Attorney General Letitia James. “We will always protect our providers from unjust attempts to punish them for doing their job, and we will never cower in the face of intimidation or threats.”
The lawsuit, filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the District Court of Collin County, targets Dr. Margaret Carpenter from New Paltz, New York. Paxton alleges that Dr. Carpenter prescribed and supplied mifepristone and misoprostol—two medications used for abortion—to a Texas woman via telemedicine.
Medication abortion accounts for more than half of U.S. abortions. It has drawn increasing attention since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 decision allowing states to ban abortion, which more than 20 have done.
The woman went to the hospital after experiencing bleeding as a complication of taking the drugs, which were subsequently discovered by her partner, according to the lawsuit.
Paxton claimed that Carpenter violated Texas's abortion law and its occupational licensing law by practicing medicine in the state despite not being licensed there. He is seeking an injunction barring her from further violations of Texas's abortion ban and at least $100,000 in civil penalties for each past violation.