The judge imposed a 7.5 percent interest rate on the fine. A Texas judge ordered a New York doctor to be fined $100,000 after she prescribed abortion pills to a Texas woman in a ruling that could challenge the Democratic state’s shield law. In December, the state of Texas accused Dr. Maggie Carpenter, a family medicine doctor who practices in New York, of violating Texas law by providing abortion-inducing drugs to Texans via telehealth. The southern state bans abortion in almost all cases and also bans abortion pills from being prescribed through telemedicine.
![[Kathy Hochul rejected Louisiana’s extradition request for a New York doctor who prescribed a Louisiana resident with abortion pills]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/02/13/21/Abortion_New_York_Doctor_01928.jpg)
Judge Bryan Gantt ruled Thursday that Carpenter must pay the $100,000 in penalties — with an interest rate of 7.5 percent until the amount is paid — as well as attorney’s fees. The judge also ordered a permanent injunction preventing Carpenter from prescribing abortion drugs to Texas residents and from practicing in Texas without a license to do so in the state. He noted that she was “properly served” but didn’t respond to the filings or appear in court.
Carpenter is also one of the founders of Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, which was formed in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The group’s co-founder and executive director Julie Kay told the Associated Press that the ruling has no bearing on shield laws. She added: “Patients can access medication abortion from licensed providers no matter where they live.”.
