Louisiana is investigating a New York doctor over accusations that she mailed abortion pills into the state, Liz Murrill, the state attorney general, said on Monday. The case marks the second investigation into the doctor, Margaret Carpenter, whom Louisiana had indicted earlier this year for allegedly prescribing abortions pills via telehealth to a Louisiana resident. … Read more
The woman’s arraignment is part of a cross-state legal battle that involves what may be the first instance of criminal charges against a doctor accused of sending abortion pills to another state, putting Louisiana’s near-total abortion ban in tension with New York’s shield laws. Read more at NBC News
Under President Joe Biden, the Justice Department said it did not believe Comstock prohibited mailing these pills. But abortion opponents have been pressing the Trump administration to change that policy. The Supreme Court’s most conservative members, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, have also expressed openness to that legal interpretation. That approach, too, could spark … Read more
Louisiana mother, New York doctor indicted for allegedly giving minor abortion pills A West Baton Rouge grand jury indicted a New York doctor and a Louisiana mother Friday, on felony charges for allegedly providing an illegal abortion with drugs obtained through the mail. It is the first criminal case of its kind in the country since the … Read more
Joshua and Davis met at an abortion rights rally in 2023 and became friends. They lean on each other for support, especially when testifying against anti-abortion laws in Louisiana’s legislature capitol, which is 76% male, majority white, and comprised of a supermajority of anti-abortion Republicans. Read more at National Public Radio, Inc.
The new lawsuit, filed Thursday, alleges that the law could create barriers for health care workers who need to administer mifepristone and misoprostol quickly in an emergency, thereby delaying patients’ access to the pills and creating a risk of harm. The complaint also says the law discriminates against people who need the medications, since patients … Read more
Anti-abortion groups could also test the limits of shield laws in more indirect ways. In Texas, says John Seago, the president of Texas Right to Life, pro-abortion groups have put up billboards advertising abortion pills: “You can go to people putting up the billboard. That’s aiding and abetting.” His group has also encouraged Texas lawmakers … Read more
Cohen predicted that if Trump wins in November, his Department of Health and Human Services would “immediately” rescind the Biden administration’s interpretation of EMTALA as it relates to abortion bans. That, in turn, would make the Idaho case “disappear” and the Texas case would be dismissed, he said. The practical impact would be that EMTALA … Read more
“A lot of people might go: ‘Oh, two minutes, that’s really fast.’ And yes, in the long scheme of things, that’s fast. But when you have someone who is actively hemorrhaging – in two minutes, they can lose hundreds of cc’s of blood,” Freehill said. “So those seconds count. I’m definitely worried about what’s going … Read more
During labor, misoprostol is typically kept at the patient’s bedside, she said. Under the new state law, the medication must be stored in a locked cabinet, potentially on a different floor of the hospital, and will require a nurse to order the drug, enter a code and retrieve it, she said. “Even if that adds … Read more
