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New Paltz officials have adopted a resolution in support of Dr. Margaret Carpenter, a local physician indicted for prescribing abortion medication to a minor in Louisiana. The resolution, passed unanimously by the Town Board, shows solidarity with Carpenter, who faces felony charges alongside her company and the girl's mother.
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York has refused to extradite Carpenter to Louisiana, where she was indicted by a grand jury on Friday (January 31). Hochul recently signed a bill to protect the identities of doctors prescribing abortion pills, allowing them to list their healthcare practice names instead of personal names on medication labels. This legislation aims to prevent situations like Carpenter's, where her name was discovered on the medication label.
The case marks the first criminal charges against a doctor for sending abortion pills to another state since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Louisiana, which has a near-total abortion ban, could impose severe penalties on physicians convicted of performing abortions, including up to 15 years in prison and $200,000 in fines.
Carpenter was previously sued by Texas for similar allegations but faced no criminal charges. Pills have become the most common method of abortion in the U.S., sparking political and legal battles across states. Governor Hochul plans to introduce further legislation requiring pharmacists to follow doctors' requests to omit their names from prescription labels.