New York doctor accused of prescribing an abortion pill in Louisiana – CBS New York

Baton Rouge, La. -Lear in New York was accused by a big jury in Louisiana on Friday for being claimed to be prescribing an online abortion pill at The Deep South State, which has one of the strictest almost total total Bans on abortions in the US

The large jurors in the District Court of the West Baton Rouge parish have issued an indictment against Dr. Margaret Carpenter; Her company, Nightingale Medical, PC; And a third person. All three were charged with criminal abortion by drug -causing drugs.

Prosecutors in Louisiana claim that a mother ordered the pill online and gave it to her child.

“The young child was said by the mother that he should take the pill or the other, and the child took the pill,” said district prosecutor Tony Clayton.

The case appears to be the first case of criminal charges against a doctor accused of sending abortion pills to another country, at least since the US Supreme Court canceled Row against Wade in 2022 and opened the door to countries to have strict abortion laws through 2022

“To send a pill from another condition is equivalent to the delivery of fentanyl or other types of medicines here, which find themselves in the mouth and stomach of our minor children,” said Clayton.

Carpenter was too tried by the Prosecutor General of Texas In December, under similar allegations of sending pills to this country. This case did not include criminal charges.

CBS News New York turned to Carpenter, but has not heard yet.

Testing the New York Shield Laws

The prosecution may be the first direct test of The laws of the New York Shieldwhich are designed to protect prescribers that use telephones to provide abortion pills to patients in countries where abortions are prohibited.

“Earlier today in Louisiana, he was accused of New York for using telemedicine to prescribe patients to abortion to a patient. Exactly: a doctor is pursued for providing basic health care to his patient. We always knew that the turning Roe v .

Hochul signed the bill defending doctors from court cases In 2023S

“I will never transfer this doctor to Louisiana when a request for extradition,” Hochul said in a video posted on social media. “I will do my best to protect this doctor and let her continue the work she does is so essential.”

New York Prosecutor General James James, who will impose a shield law, said in a statement:

“Care for abortion is healthcare. Criminalization of abortion care is a direct and cheeky attack on the bodily autonomy of Americans and their right to reproductive freedom. This cowardly experience from Louisiana to arm the law against out-of-state suppliers is unfair and un-American.

Legal experts say Carpenter can still encounter some obstacles.

“What happens when he tries to renew his medical license and has a hanging accusation of a crime in Louisiana? What happens to the doctor when he tries to fly somewhere and TSA says: Hey, do you have an active order?” Attorney Franz Borgard said.

Louisiana classifies abortion pills as “controlled hazardous substances”

The pills have become the most common abortion in the United States, which is nearly two-thirds of them by 2023. They are also at the center of political and abortion lawsuits. In January, a judge left three states to continue to challenge the federal government’s approvals on how one of the drugs that usually are usually included could be prescribed.

The indictment comes only months after Louisiana became the first country with a Mifepristone and Misoprostol reclassification law as “controlled hazardous substances”. Medicines are still allowed, but medical staff should go through additional steps to access them.

According to the legislation, if anyone deliberately owns Mifepristone or Misoprostol without a valid recipe for any purpose, it can be fined up to $ 5,000 and sent to prison for one to five years. The law reveals protection for pregnant women who receive over -the -counter medicine to take themselves.

From the fall of Roe v. WadeLouisiana had Prohibition of abortion in almost total abortionwithout any exceptions to rape or incest. According to the law, doctors sentenced to illegal abortion, including one with pills, up to 15 years in prison, $ 200,000 fines and a loss of their medical license.

“Don’t be fooled, as Roe V Wade was canceled, we witnessed a disturbing model of women’s intervention,” said the telemedicine abortion coalition, where Carpenter is one of the founders. “It is no secret that the United States has a history of violence and harassment against abortion suppliers.

Dara Cas, a New York Emergency Medicine doctor, said the abortion prohibitions make more dangerous for young girls and women.

“This makes it less safe to be pregnant and this is an increase in things like childhood mortality and mortality in countries where abortions are limited,” she said.

Jennifer Bisram contributed to this report.