Dr. Margaret Carpenter, founder of Nightingale Medical in New Paltz, was indicted by a Louisiana grand jury on Friday amid an escalating legal and political firestorm over her provision of abortion services across state lines. There is now a warrant out for her arrest in the Deep South state.
According to Louisiana law enforcement officials, Carpenter is accused of administering abortion procedures without the necessary state authorization — a charge that adds to her growing legal challenges. In a statement released early Friday, authorities confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine whether her actions violated Louisiana’s strict abortion regulations.
Louisiana District Attorney Tony Clayton said, “To ship a pill from another state is equivalent to me of shipping fentanyl or any other type of drugs over here that end up in the mouths and stomachs of our minor kids.”
Local politicians were quick to respond. Senator Michelle Hinchey condemned the arrest, stating, “The fears that many of us have had for months have become a reality… This is a deliberate effort to criminalize the private healthcare decisions of a patient. ”
“Abortion is health care, and the real injustice is the law passed in the State of Louisiana depriving women of decisions about their own reproductive health,” said Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger. “I personally know Dr. Carpenter, and can attest to her profound dedication to safeguarding the health of her patients. She is a medical professional and is doing her job, full stop. The State of New York cannot let this case move forward, and I know that our DA’s Office and State Attorney General Tish James are committed to enforcing the shield law to protect Dr. Carpenter and block this assault on the medical profession.”
Carpenter’s arrest comes on the heels of a high-profile lawsuit filed in Texas last December, in which she faces a $250,000 suit over allegations of providing abortion pills outside state-approved guidelines.
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