Louisiana AG moves to extradite New York doctor who prescribed, shipped abortion pills to local woman

The Attorney General of Louisiana, Liz Murrill, signed a form on Wednesday to extradite a New York physician who prescribed and shipped abortion pills to the state. Dr. Margaret Carpenter was indicted by a Louisiana grand jury on January 31 for allegedly breaching the state's abortion laws. This is believed to be the first criminal case of its kind since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

"We will take any and all legal actions to enforce the criminal laws of this state," Murrill wrote in a statement. The extradition form was sent to Governor Jeff Landry's desk, who signed it late Thursday.

Dr. Carpenter has been accused of shipping abortion pills to the mother of a pregnant teenager on or about April 5, 2024. The mother, who resides in West Baton Rouge Parish, was arrested on felony charges for allegedly purchasing abortion pills for her child. She has since been released from jail on bond, the Louisiana Illuminator reported.

"Dr. Carpenter needs to be careful with her travel plans," Murrill wrote on social media following the grand jury indictment. "There is an active warrant for her arrest because she clearly broke Louisiana law, & a grand jury indicted her in just minutes. The doctor's actions facilitated the death of a wanted child. Louisiana will continue to protect women & babies."

New York Governor Kathy Hochul vowed to fight the extradition of Dr. Carpenter and asserted that the state would not target Carpenter for arrest. Attorney General Murrill responded to Hochul's defiance, saying, "New York officials, including the governor, are not at liberty to ignore interstate compacts and laws regarding extradition. The doctor could be arrested in other places. If New York won't cooperate, there are other states that will."

New York Attorney General Letitia James wrote about the indictment in a statement earlier this month, which read, "This cowardly attempt out of Louisiana to weaponize the law against out-of-state providers is unjust and un-American. Medication abortion is safe, effective, and necessary, and New York will ensure that it remains available to all Americans who need it."

Carpenter, her company Nightingale Medical, PC, and the mother were all charged with criminal abortion by means of an abortion-inducing drug, which is a felony under Louisiana state law, the AP reported. The majority of abortions are banned in Louisiana with exceptions for rape and incest. The state also reclassified abortion drugs, such as mifepristone and misoprostol, as schedule IV controlled substances.