Texas Targets Out-of-State Abortion Care in National Legal Battle

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against a New York physician, Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter, accusing her of illegally prescribing abortion pills to a Texas woman via telehealth in violation of Texas laws. Paxton claims the medication caused complications requiring hospitalization and is seeking at least $100,000 in civil penalties for each violation.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a news conference in Dallas on June 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

The lawsuit is one of the first to challenge state shield laws to protect out-of-state doctors providing abortion care after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. New York Attorney General Letitia James condemned the move, vowing to defend reproductive rights and protect physicians providing legal care.

Boxes of the drug mifepristone sit on a shelf at the West Alabama Women’s Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on March 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed, File)

The legal clash highlights the deepening divide over reproductive rights and the aggressive push by Texas to enforce its near-total abortion ban.

About the Author

Ebony McMorris

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.

Ebony McMorris

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