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New York Governor Kathy Hochul continues to support Dr. Maggie Carpenter, a New Paltz physician facing a felony charge in Louisiana for prescribing abortion pills online. Governor Hochul has rejected an extradition request from Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, stating, "I will not be signing an extradition order that came from the governor of Louisiana, not now, not ever," during a news conference on Thursday (February 20).
Dr. Carpenter and her company, Nightingale Medical, are accused of prescribing abortion pills to a pregnant minor in Louisiana, resulting in a medical emergency. If convicted, Carpenter could face up to 15 years in prison, $200,000 in fines, and the loss of her medical license. This case marks the first known criminal indictment of a doctor for sending abortion pills across state lines since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The indictment could test New York’s shield laws, designed to protect providers who prescribe and ship abortion medication to states where abortion is restricted. Louisiana's near-total abortion ban, enacted after the Dobbs decision in 2022, allows no exceptions for rape or incest.
Governor Hochul emphasized her commitment to protecting New Yorkers and upholding state laws, noting, "Doctors take an oath to protect their patients. I took an oath of office to protect all New Yorkers."
The Daily Freeman reports that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has also sued Carpenter for sending abortion pills to Texas, although no criminal charges were filed in that case.