
Historic Case: New York Doctor Charged for Mailing Abortion Pills
A doctor from New York has been indicted by a Louisiana grand jury for allegedly mailing abortion pills to a teenager. This marks a potential first in criminal charges against a provider for prescribing abortion medication across state lines.
Dr. Margaret Carpenter faces felony charges for criminal abortion in Louisiana, a state with one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. The indictment also includes charges against the teen’s mother.
New York Doctor Indicted in Louisiana for Prescribing Abortion Pills Online
This case marks the first known criminal indictment of a doctor accused of prescribing and shipping abortion pills across state lines since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Dr. Carpenter is also facing legal action in Texas, where the attorney general sued her in December for similar allegations. However, that case remains a civil lawsuit rather than a criminal prosecution.
Louisiana's Crackdown on Abortion Medication
Louisiana has enforced a near-total abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. The state was also the first in the country to classify abortion medications mifepristone and misoprostol as “controlled dangerous substances.” While still legal for medical use, accessing them now requires extra regulatory steps. Under this law, possessing these pills without a prescription is punishable by up to five years in prison.
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Assistant District Attorney Tony Clayton stated that Dr. Carpenter allegedly mailed the pills to the teenager’s mother, who then gave them to her daughter.
Under the law, anyone knowingly possessing these drugs without a valid prescription could face:
✔️ Fines up to $5,000
✔️ 1 to 5 years in prison
While pregnant women are exempt from prosecution for self-managed abortions, doctors convicted of performing an illegal abortion face:
✔️ Up to 15 years in prison
✔️ $200,000 in fines
✔️ Loss of medical license
New York Governor Vows to Shield Doctor from Extradition
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has strongly condemned the charges, vowing that the state will not comply with any extradition request from Louisiana.
“I am proud to say that I will never, under any circumstances, turn this doctor over to the State of Louisiana under any extradition request,” Hochul stated in a video message.
New York Attorney General Letitia James echoed Hochul’s stance, calling the charges a "cowardly attempt to weaponize the law against out-of-state providers."
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New York has a shield law designed to protect doctors who prescribe and mail abortion pills to patients in states where abortion is banned. Dr. Carpenter’s indictment could test New York’s abortion shield laws, which are designed to protect providers offering telehealth abortion services to patients in restrictive states.
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