Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued a Delaware-based nurse practitioner, alleging she broke Texas law by prescribing abortion pills to women in Texas.
In the suit filed Tuesday, Paxton said that Debra Lynch, a co-founder of the organization Her Safe Harbor, has sent packages containing the medications mifepristone and misoprostol to women in cities including Beaumont, Fulshear, Tomball, Houston and El Paso. The suit references statements Lynch made to media outlets, including in a profile by the Austin American-Statesman.
Abortion is illegal in Texas except for a narrow carveout for medical emergencies.
Her Safe Harbor advertises itself as a telehealth service that offers “safe, private care” to women in all 50 states. In addition to abortion medication, the service offers other kinds of gynecology treatment, such as care for UTIs and sexually transmitted infections, and prescribes birth control and emergency contraception.
In the filing, Paxton calls Her Safe Harbor “part of a growing network of out-of-state abortion traffickers that deliberately target Texas residents.” He is seeking a temporary or permanent injunction that prohibits Lynch and her organization from providing abortion medication to Texas residents and prevents her from practicing medicine in the state.
The action follows a cease and desist letter the Texas Attorney General’s office sent Lynch last year. After receiving the letter, Lynch told media outlets that Her Safe Harbor did not plan to change its operations, and she had seen an uptick in requests from Texans since news of the cease-and-desist was reported.
Alongside his suit against Lynch, Paxton also sent cease-and-desist letters to two other providers he alleges have sent abortion pills to people in Texas.
Paxton brought a similar suit against New York doctor Margaret Carpenter in late 2024 and attempted to enforce a penalty against her issued by a Texas judge. However, officials in New York refused to comply, citing the state’s shield law, which is intended to protect New York providers from out-of-state investigations. A New York judge dismissed the case in October.
Delaware, too, has a shield law that could be invoked to protect Lynch against prosecution.
Texas passed a new law last year aimed at strengthening enforcement against providers in other states who prescribe abortion medication to Texans, which includes language that specifically takes aim at shield laws.
KUT News has reached out to Her Safe Harbor for comment.
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