New York Clerk Blocks Texas Abortion Judgment

Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck has refused to file a Texas court judgment targeting a New York doctor who prescribed abortion pills through telehealth.

At the center of the controversy is Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter, a New Paltz physician and founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine. Carpenter was sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for allegedly mailing FDA-approved abortion medication—mifepristone and misoprostol—to a patient in Texas. A Texas judge later ordered her to pay over $113,000 in damages, but due to the abortion shield law, that ruling will not be enforced in New York.

Carpenter was also indicted in January for allegedly mailing the drug to a patient in Louisiana, which has a near-total abortion ban like Texas.

Ulster County Clerk Takes Bold Stand Against Texas Abortion Judgment: “Hell No.”

Bruck now expects to be sued by Texas—a move that could bring the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court. Legal experts warn that if New York's law is overturned, abortion shield laws in states across the country could fall next. Hochul signed the states Shield Law in 2023.

New York Governor Hochul to Texas : "Hell No"

Governor Kathy Hochul praised Bruck’s decision stating:

“The anti-woman, anti-abortion zealots are at it again. “Today, the County Clerk in Ulster County bravely stood up with a simple message: hell no."

Why This Case is Important

If Texas succeeds in forcing other states to enforce its abortion bans, telehealth abortion access, which millions rely on, could disappear overnight.

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