Texas has secured a $100,000 settlement and a permanent injunction against Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter, a New York-based doctor accused of illegally providing abortion pills to women in Texas. The lawsuit, filed in December 2024, alleged that Carpenter violated Texas’ strict pro-life laws and practiced medicine in the state without a license.
According to court documents, Carpenter prescribed abortion-inducing drugs via telehealth to a 20-year-old woman from Collin County, who later suffered severe bleeding and was rushed to the hospital. The woman's partner was reportedly informed that she had been nine weeks pregnant before the abortion drugs resulted in the loss of the child.
First Conviction Under Texas’ Post-Roe Abortion Law
On February 12, 2025, Judge Bryan Gantt of the 471st Judicial District Court ruled that Carpenter had violated both:
The Texas Medical Practice Act, which prohibits unlicensed medical practice within the state.
The Texas Health and Safety Code, which criminalizes abortions outside of narrow medical exceptions.
Carpenter is now the first person to be held liable under Texas' “abortion trigger law,” which took effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The law bans nearly all abortions, with exceptions only when necessary to save the mother's life or prevent serious bodily harm. It does not restrict miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy care.
Doctor Failed to Respond, Defaulted on Case
Carpenter did not appear in court, respond to the lawsuit, or file an appeal. As a result, the case defaulted, and the allegations were deemed admitted by the court. Despite repeated notifications from the state, she failed to contest the charges.
Texas Attorney General: “We Will Protect Mothers and Babies”
Attorney General Ken Paxton celebrated the ruling, emphasizing that Texas will strictly enforce its pro-life laws:
“In Texas, we will always protect innocent life and uphold the laws that protect mothers and unborn babies.”
Paxton also warned that out-of-state doctors attempting to circumvent Texas law would face serious legal consequences:
“Radical out-of-state doctors will not be allowed to peddle dangerous and illegal drugs in Texas to kill unborn babies. Any doctor attempting to do so will be punished to the full extent of the law.”
Carpenter Banned from Texas Medical Practice
Under the court’s order, Carpenter is permanently barred from providing any abortion-related or medical services in Texas without proper licensure and registration.
