Paxton Sues Doctor for Prescribing Collin County Woman Abortion Drugs

Paxton's latest lawsuit is another move aimed at further restricting abortion access in Texas.

December 13, 2024

Texas AG Ken Paxton filed another lawsuit designed to enforce the state's strict abortion ban. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton is suing a New York doctor for “illegally” providing abortion drugs across state lines, his office announced on Friday.

“Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter, a New York doctor and founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, unlawfully provided a Collin County resident with abortion-inducing drugs that ended the life of an unborn child and resulted in serious complications for the mother, who then required medical intervention,” a news release states.

This is the latest move by Paxton and the state government aimed at enforcing Texas’ abortion ban, among the strictest in the U.S. In October, Paxton secured a victory over the Joe Biden administration when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the state's ban on emergency abortions. It's been a busy time for Paxton's office, as he also announced a handful of other suits recently, including one against chemical titans 3M and Dupont over their manufacturing of "forever chemicals."

“In this case, an out-of-state doctor violated the law and caused serious harm to this patient. This doctor prescribed abortion-inducing drugs — unauthorized, over telemedicine — causing her patient to end up in the hospital with serious complications,” Paxton said in the release. “In Texas, we treasure the health and lives of mothers and babies, and this is why out-of-state doctors may not illegally and dangerously prescribe abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents.”

Paxton’s announcement comes a week after the state’s maternal mortality committee announced it would not consider deaths in 2022 and 2023, the first two years after the Dobbs decision reversed Roe v. Wade. A September NBC News report noted the number of Texas pregnancy deaths “skyrocketed” following the state’s abortion ban. In November, it was reported that Porsha Ngumezi bled to death outside of Houston as she was miscarrying after her doctor denied her an emergency abortion.

According to the filing, the state is seeking $250,000 in monetary relief against Carpenter.

Kelly Dearmore is news editor of the Dallas Observer. He’s held the position since November 2022. Since joining the team, Kelly has covered topics such as state and local politics, crime and public safety, education and immigration. A native Texan, Kelly has contributed to other publications including Texas Monthly, Dallas Morning News, Success Magazine and Cowboys & Indians Magazine.

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