Louisiana moves to extradite NY physician in abortion pill case

Louisiana is trying to extradite a New York doctor for allegedly sending abortion medication into the state.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill signed an extradition form Wednesday for Dr. Margaret Carpenter, less than two weeks after a grand jury indicted the physician for prescribing and sending abortion pills to a woman in the state, Murrill announced in a post on social platform X.

In the post, Murrill states the form has been transferred to Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry’s office. “We will take any and all legal actions to enforce the criminal laws of this State!” she wrote.

A grand jury in the District Court for the Parish of West Baton Rouge indicted Carpenter, her company Nightingale Medical PC, and another woman who gave the medication to her teenage daughter.

The case is thought to be the first time criminal charges have been issued against a doctor for allegedly prescribing and sending abortion medication across state lines, after the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision ended the constitutional right to abortion.

The Louisiana lawsuit is also a test of New York state’s shield law, which protects health care providers from out-of-state investigations and prosecutions for prescribing and delivering abortion medication to patients in states with strict abortion laws.

Carpenter, her company and the mother were all charged with criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drug, which is considered a felony in Louisiana, according to The Associated Press.

Abortion is banned in Louisiana with exceptions for rape and incest. The state also reclassified the two drugs needed for medication abortions — mifepristone and misoprostol — as Schedule IV controlled substances.

When asked how Louisiana plans to extradite Carpenter, a spokesperson for Murrill referred The Hill to a post on X in which the attorney general warns the doctor to "be careful with her travel plans."

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has repeatedly pledged to protect Carpenter from extradition, stating in a video message last month that she would “never, under any circumstances” turn the doctor over to Louisiana.

The Hill reached out to Hochul's office for comment on the extradition request.

Landry said in his own video message Thursday that the only “right answer” to Carpenter’s case is for her to be handed over to officials in Louisiana “where justice will be served.”

“Let me be clear on what this case is about. This is about a case in which a minor in Louisiana got pregnant. This minor was excited to have a baby, and she was actually planning a gender reveal party,” Landry says in the video.

“Her mom conspired with a New York doctor to get a chemical abortion pill in the mail and then forced that minor to take it ... This pill ended up ending her pregnancy and that baby’s life.”

Topics

Abortion Provider Won’t Be Extradited to Louisiana, N.Y. Governor Says

The case could lead to a battle in federal court over whether states that support abortion rights can protect doctors who provide abortion services.
The New York Times - 15m
New York Gov. Hochul speaks out after Louisiana seeks doctor's extradition over abortion pill

Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke out after Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed an extradition warrant for a New York doctor indicted by a Louisiana grand jury for allegedly prescribing abortion pills online.
CBS News - 38m
What to know about proposals to ban abortion pills and punish women who seek abortion

Lawmakers in some states are pushing measures to crack down on abortion pills or penalize women who obtain abortions
ABC News - 2d
German top court rules on extradition of conscientious objector

Yahoo News - 1d
Eric Adams speaks out after DOJ moves to drop case against him

In his first appearance since the DOJ moved to drop the case against him, New York City Mayor Eric Adams celebrated the end of what he called an "unnecessary ordeal."
ABC News - 2d
Justice Department moves to drop case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

Adams has spent time with President Donald Trump recently, including meeting with him in South Florida and attending his inauguration.
ABC News - 2d
DeepSeek banned from NY state government devices

New York State is prohibiting the China-based artificial intelligence application DeepSeek from government devices. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced on Monday state government employees are ...
The Hill - 3d
The Physicians Really Are Healing Themselves, With Ozempic

At cardiology conferences and diabetes meetings, doctors can’t help noticing that thin seems to be very in.
The New York Times - 3d
The future for abortion access is already here

No matter what the Trump administration does, international telehealth services, websites that sell pills and community networks will fill the gaps left by unjust laws trying to block abortion access.
The Hill - 4d