New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Monday that she is intervening in a legal dispute initiated by Texas, defending a New York abortion provider against efforts to enforce an out-of-state judgment.
The case tests the reach of New York’s abortion shield law, which protects local providers from civil or criminal actions brought by authorities in other states.
James framed her involvement as a defense of New York’s sovereignty.
“Texas has no authority in New York, and no power to impose its cruel abortion ban here,” she said in a statement. “Our shield law exists to protect New Yorkers from out-of-state extremists, and New York will always stand strong as a safe haven for health care and freedom of choice.”
“I will fight every last attempt to roll back our rights and turn back the clock on reproductive freedom.”
The dispute centers on Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck, who twice declined to process a court judgment against Dr. Margaret Carpenter, a founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine Access.
Carpenter allegedly mailed abortion medications to a patient in Collin County, Texas, without holding a medical license in that state.
The March civil case imposed a $100,000 penalty and permanently barred