Arrest Warrant Issued for New York Doctor Charged in Louisiana Abortion Pill Case.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Dr. Margaret Carpenter, a New York-based doctor indicted by a Louisiana grand jury on Friday. The charges stem from allegations that she prescribed abortion pills online to a pregnant minor in Louisiana, a state with one of the strictest near-total abortion bans in the United States.
The grand jury in the District Court for the Parish of West Baton Rouge indicted Dr. Carpenter, her company Nightingale Medical, PC, and the mother of the minor. All three are facing felony charges of criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs.
In addition to Carpenter, an arrest warrant has also been issued for the minor’s mother, who has not been named to protect the child’s identity. District Attorney Tony Clayton confirmed that the mother turned herself in to authorities on Friday.
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This case appears to be the first instance of criminal charges against a doctor accused of mailing abortion pills to another state following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, allowing states to implement stricter anti-abortion laws. Clayton stated, "We expect Dr. Carpenter to come to Louisiana and answer to these charges, and if 12 people (a jury) think she’s innocent then, let it go."
New York Governor Kathy Hochul responded with defiance, saying, “I will never, under any circumstances, turn this doctor over to the state of Louisiana under any extradition requests,” suggesting a potential legal conflict between the states.
The charges stem from an incident last year when a woman from Port Allen, Louisiana, sought abortion medication online for her daughter. The request was made through a questionnaire, without a consultation with the minor. The woman received a package of pills, which she then gave to her daughter. After taking the drug, the minor experienced a medical emergency, contacted emergency services, and was taken to the hospital for treatment. During the emergency response, police discovered the pills and traced them back to Dr. Carpenter in New York.
Mifepristone is a drug that blocks a hormone called progesterone that is needed for a pregnancy to continue.
"The (adult) mother has since been arrested, but the other person we believe is just as culpable here is the person who sat in an office, wrapped a box of pills, put a stamp on the box and mailed it to the state of Louisiana for a child to take," Clayton said.
In December, Dr. Carpenter was also sued by the Texas attorney general for similar allegations of sending abortion pills to that state, although that case did not involve criminal charges.
The indictment follows Louisiana's recent reclassification of mifepristone and misoprostol as “controlled dangerous substances,” requiring additional steps for medical personnel to access them.
