New York Governor Kathy Hochul addresses the media at a press conference in the Queens borough of New York on November 26, 2024.

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

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Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

ALBANY, N.Y. — A Texas judge ruled on Thursday that a doctor from New York must pay over $100,000 in fines for prescribing abortion pills to a patient near Dallas. This decision may challenge the effectiveness of “shield laws” in states run by Democrats where abortion remains legal.

This ruling coincided with New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s refusal to extradite Dr. Maggie Carpenter, the physician in question, who is facing charges in Louisiana for prescribing abortion medication to a minor.

Unlike Louisiana, Texas has not pursued criminal charges against Carpenter; however, in a December lawsuit, it accused her of violating state regulations regarding telemedicine prescriptions of abortion pills. Texas stands out with some of the toughest abortion restrictions in the country.

District Judge Bryan Gantt imposed the penalty on Carpenter while also awarding attorney’s fees. Gantt’s order included an injunction prohibiting Carpenter from providing abortion medication to residents of Texas. He noted that Carpenter did not appear in court despite being informed of the proceedings.

Earlier, Hochul declared her intent to reject Louisiana’s request to arrest and transfer the doctor, after accusations surfaced about her violating stringent anti-abortion regulations in that southern state.

“I will not authorize an extradition order from Louisiana’s governor,” Hochul stated at a press briefing in Manhattan. “Not now, not ever.”

Additionally, she sent a directive to law enforcement in New York, instructing them not to honor any out-of-state warrants for these charges.

Carpenter serves as the co-medical director and founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine. Julie Kay, the executive director of the group, stated that the Texas ruling does not negate shield laws and emphasized that “patients can obtain medication abortion from licensed healthcare providers irrespective of their location.”

The organization also condemned Louisiana’s attempts to extradite Carpenter.

This case marks the first known instance of criminal charges against a physician alleged to have prescribed abortion pills across state lines.

Medication abortions have emerged as the predominant method of abortion in the United States and have become central to the ongoing political and legal battles regarding access to abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.

The cases from Texas and Louisiana will challenge New York’s so-called shield law, which provides legal protections for healthcare professionals who prescribe abortion medications in more conservative states where access is restricted or banned. Other states led by Democrats have enacted similar “shield laws.”

In Louisiana, prosecutors charged Carpenter with violating the state’s nearly total abortion prohibition, which imposes sentences of up to 15 years for physicians found guilty of conducting abortions, including those involving medication.

Authorities in Louisiana reported that the young girl who took the pills experienced a medical crisis and was rushed to the hospital. Her mother has also been charged and surrendered to the police.

In a recorded statement on Thursday, Louisiana Republican Governor Jeff Landry expressed, “There is only one correct answer in this situation, and it is that this doctor must be extradited to Louisiana to face trial and ensure justice is served.”

Landry’s office has not yet responded to a request for comments following Hochul’s rejection of the extradition.

Regarding the Texas case, the Republican Attorney General, Ken Paxton, indicated that the 20-year-old woman who received the pills suffered complications that necessitated hospitalization. It was only after this incident that the individual known as “the biological father of the unborn child” became aware of the pregnancy and ensuing abortion.