Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a legal petition against a New York county clerk who is blocking the collection of a $100,000 penalty from a doctor who illegally sent abortion drugs to Texas.
The dispute centers on the enforcement of Texas abortion laws across state lines.
Paxton secured the penalty against Dr. Margaret Carpenter in December 2024. The New York physician had sent abortion-inducing drugs to a Collin County resident.
The drugs resulted in the termination of a pregnancy and serious medical complications for the mother, according to the attorney general’s office. A permanent injunction was also issued against Carpenter.
Ulster County Acting Clerk Taylor Bruck has refused Texas’ attempts to collect the penalty. Paxton responded Monday by seeking a writ of mandamus to compel payment.
“Dr. Carpenter is a radical abortionist who must face justice, not get legal protection from New York liberals intent on ending the lives of as many unborn children as they can,” Paxton said in a statement.
The attorney general warned that enforcement would extend beyond Texas borders.
“No matter where they reside, pro-abortion extremists who send drugs designed to kill the unborn into Texas will face the full force of our state’s pro-life laws,” he said.
