Texas AG Ken Paxton Sues New York Doctor for Prescribing Abortion Pills via Telemedicine

Dec 13, 2024, 09:05 PM

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter, a New York-based physician, for allegedly prescribing abortion pills to a Texas resident via telemedicine. The lawsuit, filed in Collin County, claims that Carpenter violated Texas law by providing abortion-inducing drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, to a 20-year-old woman who subsequently experienced severe complications and was hospitalized. Texas law prohibits physicians from prescribing abortion-inducing drugs by mail or courier, and requires a valid Texas medical license for telemedicine services. Paxton seeks an injunction to prevent Carpenter from continuing to prescribe these drugs to Texas residents and is also seeking civil penalties of up to $250,000. This legal action marks a significant challenge to New York's shield law, which aims to protect doctors from out-of-state prosecution for providing abortion services.