A New York doctor has been indicted in Louisiana for prescribing an abortion pill to a teenager in the state, despite the strict abortion ban.
On Jan. 31, a West Baton Rouge Parish grand jury issued an indictment against Dr. Margaret Carpenter as well as her company, Nightingale Medical, PC, and the teen’s mother (whose identity has been protected). All three were charged with a felony — criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducting drugs.
Abortion is currently illegal in Louisiana, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The law went into effect after the overturning of Roe v. Wade — which ended the constitutional right to abortion — in June 2022. Any physicians convicted of performing an illegal abortion, including with pills, face up to 15 years in prison, $200,000 in fines and the loss of their medical license.
The teenager’s mother reportedly went online and ordered mifepristone from Carpenter to terminate the pregnancy. Carpenter prescribed the pill, which was sent to Louisiana. It’s unclear how far along the teenager was, but prosecutors said the pregnancy was terminated after taking the pull.
A medical abortion consists of taking the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol a day or two apart to end early pregnancy.
“Mifepristone plus misoprostol is 95 to 98% effective at ending a pregnancy before 11 weeks,” Susan Yanow, consultant to international activist non-profit Women Help Women and the U.S. spokesperson for SAAS, Self-Managed Abortions; Safe & Supported, previously told PEOPLE. “People in the U.S. have been using pills to self-manage abortions since at least 2000, and even longer in the rest of the world.”
The pills can be taken at home, eliminating the need to drive to a clinic, take extended time off of work or worry about child care.
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Following the indictment, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a statement supporting the decision.
“It is illegal to send abortion pills into this state and it’s illegal to coerce another into having an abortion,” she said. “I have said it before and I will say it again: We will hold individuals accountable for breaking the law.”
Meanwhile, the Abortion Coalition of Telemedicine — which Carpenter co-founded — slammed the indictment.
“It’s no secret the United States has a history of violence and harassment against abortion providers. Make no mistake, since Roe v Wade was overturned, we’ve witnessed a disturbing pattern of interference with women’s rights,” the coalition said in a statement. “This state-sponsored effort to prosecute a doctor providing safe and effective care should alarm everyone.”
This comes just months after Louisiana officials added additional restrictions on abortion in the state.
Beginning in October 2024, a new law went into effect reclassifying both mifepristone and misoprostol as “dangerous controlled substances.” Beyond abortion, the medications are often used to manage miscarriages.
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