New York doctor, Louisiana mother indicted for helping a minor get an abortion
The mother was arrested, and there is a warrant out for the doctor who prescribed abortion medication after a Telehealth consultation.
A Louisiana grand jury indicted a New York-based doctor who prescribed medication abortion after a telemedicine consultation with a pregnant teenager.
According to the Associated Press, grand jurors at the District Court for the Parish of West Baton Rouge unanimously issued an indictment against Dr. Margaret Carpenter, her company, Nightingale Medical, PC, and the minor’s mother. All three were charged with criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs, a felony.
Authorities have arrested the teenager’s mother and have issued a warrant for Dr. Margaret Carpenter, who prescribed it. District Attorney Tony Clayton told the Associated Press that the mother turned herself into police on Friday.
The case quickly became a social media sensation. In a highly unprofessional move that could get the case tossed, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill politicized the case on X, formerly known as Twitter, in a series of heated exchanges with other users.
According to the Associated Press, in 2024, the mother from Port Allen requested abortion medication online from Carpenter for her daughter, whose age has not been specified. Clayton said the request was made through a questionnaire only and no consultation with the girl.
A “cocktail of pills” was mailed to the woman who directed her daughter to take the pill, Clayton said. After taking the drug, the girl experienced a medical emergency while alone, called 911, and was transported to the hospital where she was treated. While responding to the emergency, a police officer learned about the pills and, under further investigation, found that a doctor in New York State had supplied the drugs and turned their findings over to Clayton’s office.
While it’s been reported that the criminal penalty is up to five years in prison and $50,000 in fines, another law in the state stipulates that someone who helps a minor get an abortion that leads to injury could face up to 50 years in prison, according to an AI report compiled by Google.
New York leaders quickly responded to the indictment, saying they would protect the doctor. Gov. Kathy Hochul said as much. New York Attorney General Letitia James released a statement afterward.
“Abortion care is health care. The criminalization of abortion care is a direct and brazen attack on Americans’ bodily autonomy and their right to reproductive freedom,” James said. “This cowardly attempt out of Louisiana to weaponize the law against out-of-state providers is unjust and un-American.
“We will not allow bad actors to undermine our providers’ ability to deliver critical care. Medication abortion is safe, effective, and necessary, and New York will ensure that it remains available to all Americans who need it.”
Carpenter is at the center of another lawsuit in Texas that deals with her prescribing abortion medication across state lines. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Carpenter, who is the founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine. Paxton said she provided a Collin County resident with abortion-inducing drugs that resulted in serious complications for the mother, who then required medical intervention. Paxton is seeking a $250,000 civil penalty.
According to the civil complaint, in mid-May 2024, a 20-year-old female resident of Collin County, Texas, became pregnant. She did not have any life-threatening physical condition aggravated by, caused by, or arising from the pregnancy that placed her at risk of death or any serious risk of substantial impairment. The mother used telemedicine or telehealth services and received, through Carpenter, two abortion-inducing drugs or prescriptions.
The case is interesting because it arises out of a concern for the man who impregnated her. The woman who had the abortion hadn’t told him that she was pregnant. Upon complications alleged to have come from the abortion medication, he discovered that she had sought reproductive care to end her pregnancy while taking her to a hospital to treat hemorrhaging. Later, he returned and found the medication containers for mifepristone and misoprostol.
The Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine issued a news release following the indictment, saying it jeopardizes access to reproductive healthcare nationwide.
“Make no mistake, since Roe v Wade was overturned, we've witnessed a disturbing pattern of interference with women’s rights,” the statement read. “It’s no secret the United States has a history of violence and harassment against abortion providers, and this state-sponsored effort to prosecute a doctor providing safe and effective care should alarm everyone.”