NY Doctor Fined $100,000+ for Providing an Abortion

Texas judge fines New York doctor for prescribing abortion pills to a 20-year-old woman in the Dallas area last year

Abortion “shield laws” have passed in eight states after Roe v. Wade was overturned, and the states are now testing how far they can go by punishing doctors.

In addition to finding Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter more than $100,000 in fines and fees, they demanded her extradition to Louisiana after a state grand jury indicted her for mailing misoprostol and mifepristone. Thankfully, New York Governor Kathy Hochul rejected the extradition order, saying that she "will not be signing an extradition order that came from the governor of Louisiana. Not now, not ever."

But her future is unknown.

Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter, according to LinkedIn, is a family medicine doctor based out of New York.

First of potentially many…

These are the first criminal charges filed against an abortion provider in Louisiana using the shield law. It aims to bar officials and agencies from collaborating in lawsuits and prosecutions targeting healthcare professionals who provide abortion pills to patients in states where abortion care is banned.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton didn’t file criminal charges against Dr. Carpenter. In the lawsuit, he accused her of violating the state’s near-total abortion ban by providing the medication through mail.

Carpenter has been ordered to pay $100,000 in fines and $13,000 in attorney/extra fees. He also ruled that Carpenter "is permanently prohibited from prescribing abortion-inducing drugs to residents of Texas." If convicted, Carpenter could face up to 15 years in prison.

What’s even scarier about this is that the Texas case is expected to reach SCOTUS. With the right-wing majority they have, they could tule against legal protections for abortion providers who give out-of-state telemedicine care for people in Republican states. Along with that, the New York Times reported that several men plan to file “wrongful death lawsuits” in the coming weeks against health providers who helped their partners obtain abortion care.

How you can help:

According to the Associated Press and the executive director of ACT, "Patients can access medication abortion from licensed providers no matter where they live."

Abortion pills are still available in all 50 states via mail and telehealth despite this lawsuit. Although hurdles will only grow, websites like:

1. https://www.mayday.health/

2. https://www.plancpills.org/

Can provide abortion pills no matter what state you are in, spread the awareness! You never know who it can help.

Wrapping it up…

While the case of Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter marks a significant and alarming escalation in the use of shield laws to target abortion providers, it also highlights the ongoing legal battles over reproductive rights. The potential for future prosecutions against healthcare professionals who assist patients in obtaining abortion pills could lead to broader challenges to the legality of telemedicine and mail-order abortions, particularly in states with restrictive abortion laws.

With the Texas case likely reaching the Supreme Court, the stakes are high for providers and patients. Despite the mounting legal obstacles, access to abortion pills remains legal across the country, and resources like Mayday Health continue to support patients seeking care.

The fight for reproductive rights is far from over, and the outcome of these cases will likely shape the future of healthcare access in the U.S.