AG James Says New York Will Not Enforce Texas Abortion Bans
(WNY News Now) – NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Monday that she is formally intervening in a lawsuit to defend the state’s reproductive health shield law, following an attempt by the Texas attorney general to use New York courts to enforce Texas’s abortion bans.
The dispute centers on a $113,000 judgment issued by a Texas court against a New York doctor who provided telehealth abortion care from Ulster County. When Texas officials sought to collect the judgment in New York, an Ulster County clerk rejected the filing under the state’s shield law, which blocks cooperation with out-of-state prosecutions related to abortion or gender-affirming care. In response, the Texas attorney general sued the clerk, claiming New York’s law violates the Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause.
Attorney General James is now stepping in to defend the statute, which was enacted in 2023 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The law prohibits New York officials from enforcing out-of-state subpoenas, judgments, or extradition requests involving providers who offer care that is legal in New York.
“Texas has no authority in New York, and no power to impose its cruel abortion ban here.” Attorney General James said. “Our shield law exists to protect New Yorkers from out-of-state extremists, and New York will always stand strong as a safe haven for health care and freedom of choice.”
Reproductive rights advocates praised James’s intervention, arguing that the case is critical for protecting access to care across state lines. Leaders from Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and the National Institute for Reproductive Health issued statements supporting the attorney general’s move, emphasizing the importance of shield laws in preventing states with restrictive bans from targeting out-of-state medical providers.
Critics of shield laws, however, argue that they conflict with constitutional principles requiring states to honor each other’s legal judgments. Legal experts note that the outcome of this case could set a precedent for how far states can go in protecting providers who serve patients across state boundaries.
The Texas attorney general’s lawsuit is one of several recent efforts by anti-abortion officials to challenge laws in states that protect abortion access. James has been active on multiple fronts in defending reproductive rights, including litigation to stop federal restrictions on abortion medication and lawsuits against groups accused of interfering with access to care.
As the case proceeds in Ulster County Supreme Court, New York officials maintain that the shield law is essential to protecting the state’s sovereignty and safeguarding health care providers. “I will fight every last attempt to roll back our rights and turn back the clock on reproductive freedom.” James said.
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