A Louisiana grand jury has indicted a New York doctor and a Louisiana mother for their alleged roles in enabling a minor’s abortion using the drug Mifepristone.
The indictment, announced Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, has sparked a heated debate over reproductive rights and interstate legal conflicts.
Dr. Margaret Carpenter, a New York-based physician, is accused of prescribing Mifepristone to the Louisiana mother, who allegedly ordered the drug online and administered it to her minor daughter.
The daughter, whose identity is being protected, experienced a medical emergency after taking the pill and was hospitalized. Louisiana prosecutors claim the mother coerced her daughter into taking the medication, leading to severe complications.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill supported the indictment, stating:
“It is illegal to send abortion pills into this state, and it’s illegal to coerce another into having an abortion. We will hold individuals accountable for breaking the law.”
Mifepristone, a drug used to terminate pregnancies up to 10 or 11 weeks of gestation, was classified as a Schedule IV controlled substance in Louisiana in May 2024. Possession of the drug without a valid prescription is now a felony punishable by one to five years in prison, with harsher penalties if the drug causes serious bodily injury.
District Attorney Tony Clayton of Louisiana’s 18th Judicial District emphasized the severity of the case, comparing the shipment of abortion pills to the trafficking of dangerous drugs like fentanyl.
“Shipping an abortion pill from another state is equivalent to shipping fentanyl or any other type of drug that ends up in the mouths and stomachs of our minor kids,” he said.
The case has drawn national attention, highlighting the growing legal and political tensions surrounding abortion access in the U.S. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has vowed to protect Dr. Carpenter, citing New York laws that shield healthcare providers from out-of-state liability for reproductive health services performed legally within the state.
On X, Hochul wrote, “I will never, under any circumstances, turn this doctor over to the State of Louisiana under any extradition request. Republicans are fighting for a national abortion ban that will deny reproductive freedom to women, not just in our state, but all across America.”
This is not the first legal challenge Dr. Carpenter has faced. In December, Texas sued her for allegedly mailing abortion pills to a Texas woman in violation of state laws. Texas seeks to bar her from practicing medicine in the state and impose a $100,000 fine.
