What legal protections exist for healthcare providers who provide abortion services across state lines in the post-Roe v. Wade era?

The case of Dr. Margaret Carpenter illustrates the complex legal landscape surrounding interstate abortion care. When Louisiana sought to extradite the New York physician for sending abortion pills to a Louisiana resident, New York Governor Kathy Hochul rejected the request, citing shield laws designed to protect healthcare providers from out-of-state prosecution. This represents the first known criminal indictment of a doctor for sending abortion pills across state lines post-Roe. Shield laws in states like New York serve as crucial protective measures, allowing governors to refuse extradition requests for healthcare providers offering legal reproductive services within their jurisdiction, even when those services violate laws in other states where patients reside.