A Texas judge has fined Dr. Margaret Carpenter, a New York-based physician, over $100,000 for prescribing abortion pills to a woman near Dallas. The ruling also prohibits Dr. Carpenter from providing abortion medication to Texas residents. This case marks a significant test of "shield laws" in states supportive of abortion rights, designed to protect providers who offer services to patients in states with restrictive abortion laws. 

Dr. Carpenter, founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, did not respond to the state's civil lawsuit accusing her of illegally prescribing mifepristone and misoprostol to a Texas woman via telemedicine. The judgment is seen as an early test of conservative states' power to prosecute out-of-state doctors and restrict access to abortion medications. 

In a related development, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has refused to cooperate with an extradition request from Louisiana, where Dr. Carpenter faces charges for prescribing abortion pills to a minor. New York's shield law aims to protect doctors who provide abortion services to patients in other states, provided they comply with local laws. 

This situation underscores the escalating legal conflicts between states with opposing abortion laws and may ultimately require resolution by higher courts.