Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against a New York doctor, accusing her of mailing abortion pills to a 20-year-old woman in Texas, in violation of the state’s strict abortion laws.
The lawsuit alleges that Dr. Margaret Carpenter, who is based in New York and is the founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, prescribed abortion-inducing medication to the Texas resident without holding a Texas medical license.
According to Paxton’s office, Texas law prohibits any physician or medical supplier from providing abortion-inducing drugs via courier, delivery, or mail.
The law also prohibits physicians from treating or prescribing medicine to Texas residents through telehealth services unless they are licensed in Texas.
The lawsuit claims that Carpenter’s actions led to a pregnancy termination and caused serious complications for the patient.
Paxton is seeking an injunction to prevent Carpenter from prescribing abortion pills to Texas residents, as well as a $100,000 fine for each alleged violation.
“In Texas, we treasure the health and lives of mothers and babies,” Paxton said in a statement. “This is why out-of-state doctors may not illegally and dangerously prescribe abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents.”
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This lawsuit highlights the growing tension between states with strict abortion laws like Texas and those like New York, where abortion rights are strongly protected.
New York has passed a “shield law,” designed to protect doctors who provide abortion medications to women in states where abortion is banned.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, 18 Democratic-led states have enacted similar shield laws to safeguard abortion access.
The case raises complex legal issues related to extraterritoriality, questioning whether one state’s laws can be enforced in another state.
The outcome of this case could set a significant precedent for telemedicine and cross-state abortion access in the post-Roe era.
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