CBS News
Pittsburgh, PA (PTTP)- New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed a new law aimed at
protecting doctors who prescribe abortion medication. The law allows doctors to request that
their names be left off abortion pill prescriptions, instead listing the name of their healthcare
practice on the labels. The move comes in response to a recent case in Louisiana where a New
York doctor, Margaret Carpenter, was indicted for prescribing abortion pills to a minor in
Louisiana.
Carpenter is facing charges of criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs after a
grand jury in Louisiana indicted her last week. This is believed to be the first criminal case
involving a doctor sending abortion pills to another state since the U.S. Supreme Court
overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Louisiana has strict anti-abortion laws, and doctors convicted
of performing abortions, including those done with pills, can face up to 15 years in prison and
significant fines.
Governor Hochul has made it clear that New York will not cooperate with extradition requests
for Carpenter, stating she would “never, under any circumstances” approve the doctor’s transfer
to Louisiana. Hochul emphasized that authorities in Louisiana were able to identify Carpenter
because her name appeared on the medication label, which the new law will prevent from
happening in the future.
The case in Louisiana began after the minor experienced a medical emergency and was taken to
the hospital. It was during this response that authorities learned about the abortion pills and
traced them back to the doctor in New York. The girl’s mother was also charged but has not been
identified to protect the minor’s privacy.
Governor Hochul said she plans to introduce further legislation this year to ensure that
pharmacists comply with doctors’ requests to leave their names off prescription labels for
abortion pills. The new law is seen as a safeguard for New York physicians against legal threats
from states with more restrictive abortion laws.
Reproductive rights groups have condemned the Louisiana indictment, with the Louisiana
Abortion Fund calling it an example of “forced birth extremists” interfering with access to
healthcare. Medication abortions, involving drugs like mifepristone and misoprostol, have
become the most common method of abortion in the U.S. since Roe v. Wade was overturned, and
they are at the center of ongoing legal battles across the country.