Texas has filed a lawsuit against a Delaware-based nurse practitioner, accusing her of illegally prescribing and mailing abortion pills into the state, in what could become a significant test of interstate abortion law enforcement nearly four years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The suit, brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in Jefferson County District Court, targets Debra Lynch — a nurse practitioner who runs a telehealth service called Her Safe Harbor in Delaware. Paxton’s office alleges that Lynch’s clinic provided medication abortion drugs, including mifepristone and misoprostol, to residents in Texas via mail, violating the state’s strict abortion ban and its 2025 law that bans distribution of abortion medication.
Texas law, including provisions in House Bill 7, allows civil actions and steep penalties — at least $100,000 per violation — for the distribution of abortion-inducing drugs in the state and empowers both the attorney general and private citizens to pursue enforcement.
The lawsuit coincides with legal battles in other states, as Republican officials seek to block access to abortion pills while Democratic-led states like Delaware have enacted “shield laws” to protect out-of-state providers and telemedicine services from prosecution or civil suits related to reproductive health care. Paxton’s action could be the first major challenge to Delaware’s protections for such providers.
Her Safe Harbor has maintained it will continue offering medication abortion services despite legal threats, and Delaware officials have indicated their shield law will be defended in court. Legal experts say the case may ultimately hinge on interpretations of jurisdiction and the reach of state abortion restrictions across state lines.
The legal clash highlights the ongoing national tension over abortion access in the post-Dobbs era, especially as states diverge sharply on reproductive rights and medication abortion distribution.
