New York doctor indicted for prescribing abortion pill in Louisiana

By SARA CLINE and GEOFF MULVIHILL, Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A New York doc was indicted by a Louisiana expansive assemblage connected Friday for allegedly prescribing an termination pill online successful the Deep South state, which has 1 of the strictest near-total termination bans successful the country.

Grand jurors astatine the District Court for the Parish of West Baton Rouge issued an indictment against Dr. Margaret Carpenter; her company, Nightingale Medical, PC; and a 3rd person. All 3 were charged with transgression termination by means of abortion-inducing drugs, a felony.

The lawsuit appears to beryllium the archetypal lawsuit of transgression charges against a doc accused of sending termination pills to different state, astatine slightest since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade successful 2022 and opened the doorway for states to person strict anti-abortion laws.

Carpenter was also sued by the Texas lawyer general in December nether akin allegations of sending pills to that state. That lawsuit did not impact transgression charges.

Carpenter did not instantly instrumentality a message.

The indictment comes conscionable months aft Louisiana became the archetypal authorities with a instrumentality to reclassify some mifepristone and misoprostol arsenic “controlled unsafe substances.” The drugs are inactive allowed, but aesculapian unit person to spell done other steps to entree them.

Under the legislation, if idiosyncratic knowingly possesses mifepristone oregon misoprostol without a valid medicine for immoderate purpose, they could beryllium fined up to $5,000 and sent to jailhouse for 1 to 5 years. The instrumentality carves retired protections for large women who get the cause without a prescription to instrumentality connected their own.

Since the autumn of Roe v. Wade, Louisiana has had a near-total termination ban, without immoderate exceptions for rape oregon incest. Under the law, physicians convicted of performing an amerciable abortion, including 1 with pills, look up to 15 years successful prison, $200,000 successful fines and the nonaccomplishment of their aesculapian license.

“Make nary mistake, since Roe v Wade was overturned, we’ve witnessed a disturbing signifier of interference with women’s rights,” the Abortion Coalition of Telemedicine, wherever Carpenter is 1 of the founders, said successful a statement. “It’s nary concealed the United States has a past of unit and harassment against termination providers, and this state-sponsored effort to prosecute a doc providing harmless and effectual attraction should alarm everyone.”

Friday’s indictment could beryllium the archetypal nonstop trial of New York’s shield laws, which are intended to support prescribers who usage telehealth to supply termination pills to patients successful states wherever termination is banned.

“We ever knew that overturning Roe v. Wade wasn’t the extremity of the roadworthy for anti-abortion politicians. That’s wherefore I worked with the Legislature to walk nation-leading laws to support providers and patients,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said successful a prepared release.

Attorney General Letitia James, who would enforce the shield law, did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Pills person go the most communal means of termination successful the U.S., accounting for astir two-thirds of them by 2023. They’re besides astatine the halfway of governmental and ineligible enactment implicit abortion. In January, 1 justice fto 3 states proceed to challenge national authorities approvals for however 1 of the drugs usually progressive tin beryllium prescribed.

Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Associated Press newsman Michael Hill successful Albany, New York, besides contributed.