New York physician accused of providing abortion pill to patient through online consultation in Louisiana

A female New York doctor will be prosecuted for allegedly prescribing abortion medication via telemedicine in Louisiana.

Dr. Margaret Carpenter was indicted in Louisiana Friday after allegedly using telemedicine to prescribe abortion medication to a patient. 

A woman named Carpenter, along with her company and another person, have been accused of committing felony criminal abortion by utilizing drugs that induce abortion, as reported by The Associated Press.

Mifepristone and Misoprostol pills (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

In a statement, James condemned the efforts from Louisiana to misuse the law against providers from other states, labeling it as unjust and un-American. She emphasized the importance of protecting providers’ ability to offer essential care, stating that medication abortion is a safe, effective, and vital service that should be accessible to all individuals in need, with New York committed to preserving its availability.

Louisiana prohibits the use of telemedicine to provide medication for abortions.

The recently appointed Department of Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem, has expressed reservations about telemedicine abortions, raising issues regarding the need for individuals to make informed choices in such situations.

Kristi Noem, former governor of South Dakota and the nominee for secretary of Homeland Security, speaks during her confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., Jan. 17.  (Getty Images)

“For years and years, we’ve heard liberals talk about this decision on abortion being between a woman and her doctor,” Noem said in 2021, while serving as governor of South Dakota. “Now they’re changing their complete argument to now this can be a decision between a woman and virtually any stranger over the phone – that she doesn’t even have to prove it’s a doctor … or an informed decision.”

Louisiana imposes more restrictions on abortion providers than almost any other state, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.

This appears to be the first time since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 that a doctor was charged criminally for sending abortion pills to another state, according to the AP.