From right, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill and Gov. Jeff Landry hold a press conference on July 1, 2024, at the Denka neoprene plant in LaPlace, La., to speak against a new EPA rule they say is unfair to the company. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill signed an extradition form Wednesday for a New York physician, she announced in a news release. Her action comes less than two weeks after a Louisiana grand jury indicted the doctor for prescribing and shipping abortion pills to the state.
“We will take any and all legal actions to enforce the criminal laws of this state,” Murrill wrote in her statement, adding that the extradition form was sent to Gov. Jeff Landry’s office for his approval.
The criminal case against Dr. Margaret Carpenter of its kind in the country since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, which triggered Louisiana’s strict abortion ban.
The mother Carpenter allegedly shipped the medication to in West Baton Rouge Parish was also indicted on a felony charge for purchasing the pills for her pregnant teen daughter. The woman, who is not being identified to protect her daughter’s privacy, was arrested and released on bond.
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“Dr. Carpenter needs to be careful with her travel plans,” Murrill posted on social media last week. “There is an active warrant for her arrest because she clearly broke Louisiana law, & a grand jury indicted her in just minutes. The doctor’s actions facilitated the death of a wanted child. Louisiana will continue to protect women & babies!”
When asked if Murrill planned to rely on her peers in other states to extradite Carpenter should the doctor travel there, her spokesman, Lester Duhé, referred the Illuminator to a statement the Republican attorney general made previously.
“New York officials, including the governor, are not at liberty to ignore interstate compacts and laws regarding extradition,” Murrill said. “The doctor could be arrested in other places. If New York won’t cooperate, there are other states that will.”
Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has firmly stated she will “never, under any circumstances” turn over Carpenter to Louisiana. The state’s attorney general, Letitia James, also a Democrat, was in lockstep with Hochul.
“This cowardly attempt out of Louisiana to weaponize the law against out-of-state providers is unjust and un-American,” James said earlier this month. “Medication abortion is safe, effective, and necessary, and New York will ensure that it remains available to all Americans who need it.”
Hochul could not be immediately reached Wednesday for comment on Murrill’s extradition order. A representative for James referred a reporter to her previous statement.
Tony Clayton, the district attorney for West Baton Rouge Parish who will prosecute the case alongside Murrill, previously told the Illuminator he was shocked Carpenter was not going to come to Louisiana to be arrested.
“You broke the law in the state of Louisiana, and you ought to come down here and answer the charges,” Clayton said.
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