Abortion in the United States: Texas sues New York doctor

Texas, where abortion is prohibited except in rare “medical exceptions”, announced Friday that it had initiated proceedings against a New York doctor for having prescribed and sent abortion pills to a patient in this southern US state. .

These proceedings launched Thursday before the Texas courts by its Attorney General, Ken Paxton, risk triggering a conflict of jurisdictional competence with the State of New York, which adopted laws protecting the acts accused of Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter.

This New York doctor, founder of the Telemedicine Abortion Coalition, “illegally provided abortive medications” to a patient in Texas, the state attorney said in a statement.

The patient hospitalized in July because of a hemorrhage

These drugs “ended the life of an unborn child and caused severe complications for the mother, who had to undergo medical intervention,” he adds.

“Dr. Carpenter knowingly treated Texas residents even though she does not have a medical license in Texas and is not authorized to practice telemedicine there,” denounces Ken Paxton, who asks the courts to prohibit him from doing so and to sentence her to “a $100,000 fine” for each violation of the law.

The patient, aged 20, received the medication through Dr. Carpenter in May and had to be hospitalized in July because of a hemorrhage, according to the text of the complaint.

“We will always protect our healthcare providers”

“In the face of attacks from other states against those who provide or obtain abortions, New York is proud to be a sanctuary for access to abortion,” his New York State counterpart responded in a statement. , Letitia James.

“We will always protect our health care providers from unfair attempts to punish them for doing their jobs and will never give in to intimidation or threats,” assured the Attorney General.

By its historic judgment of June 2022 annulling the federal guarantee of the right to abortion, the American Supreme Court with a conservative majority gave states full latitude to legislate in this area. Since then, around twenty have banned abortion, whether carried out by medication or surgery, or have strictly regulated it.

Texas prohibits any voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion), including in cases of incest or rape. The only exceptions: in the event of danger of death or risk of serious disability for the mother. Conversely, around twenty other states, including New York, have enacted laws protecting practitioners providing abortion pills to patients in states where abortion is prohibited.

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