Carpenter is a co-founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, or ACT, a New York-based nonprofit that provides technical and legal support for telemedicine providers. In February 2025, Louisiana indicted Carpenter and charged her with a felony for allegedly mailing abortion pills to a patient in their state.
By Dr. Maggie Carpenter
I am so sorry that I cannot be with you in person to accept this amazing award. I am humbled. This award really goes to all telehealth shield providers — my peers who are bravely doing work that is so desperately needed in this dark time in our nation’s history.
It also goes to the courageous lawyers David Cohen, Rachel Rebel Shea and Greer Donnelly, who almost four years ago imagined a way that progressive states could fight back providing abortion to thousands who otherwise would lose access due to draconian restrictions — a truly proactive idea rather than the typical defensive crouch we have seen over the last 50 years in response to attacks on reproductive rights.
Read more of Dr. Carpenter’s speech in Freethought Today.
Due to legal reasons, the video cannot be shown.
