Alyssa Nadworny
Appearances
Up First from NPR
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
So the lawsuit accuses a New York doctor of violating Texas law by providing the two drugs used in an abortion to a pregnant patient living in the state. And the suit says this 20-year-old woman who received the pills ended up in a hospital with complications. There aren't any criminal charges involved. It's a civil suit.
Up First from NPR
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
But it seeks up to $250,000 and aims to stop the doctor from continuing to provide abortion medications to patients in Texas. In a statement, Ken Paxton, the Texas AG, said, quote, in Texas, we treasure the health and lives of the mothers and babies. And this is why out-of-state doctors may not illegally and dangerously prescribe abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents.
Up First from NPR
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
So at least eight Democrat-controlled states have enacted these shield laws, like the one in New York. They give abortion providers some protection from criminal prosecution, civil claims, extradition, things like that. But the laws have yet to be tested, so...
Up First from NPR
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
This case essentially pits a state with a near total abortion ban against a state with laws that not just protect abortion rights, but specifically protect doctors in the state from prescribing pills to people in other states through telehealth.
Up First from NPR
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
So Texas is essentially trying to test what the state of New York is going to do with respect to defending the actions of this doctor who was providing legal care in the state of New York.
Up First from NPR
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
Well, the New York Attorney General released a statement saying that New York will, quote, protect our providers from unjust attempts to punish them for doing their job. The governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, who signed the state's shield law, said in a statement she will do everything in her power to enforce the laws of New York State.
Up First from NPR
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
David Cohen, a law professor at Drexel University who helped craft that New York law, talked to me yesterday. Here's his take on the legal wrangling between the states.
Up First from NPR
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
And yet, despite that, anti-abortion groups are already celebrating the legal challenge.
Up First from NPR
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
So the New York doctor is one of the founders of an organization called Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine. They help pass shield laws and offer support for providers doing telehealth abortions. In a statement, they said that the Texas Attorney General was, quote, "...prioritizing his anti-abortion agenda over the health and well-being of women."
Up First from NPR
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
Now, Scott, it's worth noting that telehealth has made it much easier for people to access abortion medication. Like even after the Supreme Court stopped decision, which struck down Roe v. Wade, the number of abortions in the U.S. has gone up about a fifth or now via telehealth.
Up First from NPR
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
And then you break that down further, medication sent by shield law providers now accounts for as many as 12,000 prescriptions a month.
Up First from NPR
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
Well, you know, long-term worry for abortion rights supporters is that this case ends up in federal court and it has the possibility of making it harder for women in states with bans to get abortion pills by mail. But for now, nothing changes. I talked to Angel Foster about this. She runs the Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project. They call it the MAP, to be more discreet.
Up First from NPR
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
They operate under Massachusetts shield law. They have four OBGYNs that prescribe abortion medication to people no matter which state they live in.
Up First from NPR
S. Korea President, Texas Abortion Lawsuit, Coffee Prices
She says the only impact to her organization is that they're going to talk to their lawyers more. Just yesterday, they mailed about 150 pills to people all across the country. The largest number went to Texas. And they predict they'll end up sending about 3,000 pills to people, mainly in states with bans, this month alone.