When Texas Can’t Stop Abortion, It Sues Providers
Texas is suing another abortion provider. And surprise, surprise…it’s about control, not care.
From Amarillo, we’ve learned to read between the lines of Texas politics. Out here in the Panhandle, we know when something is framed as “protecting life,” when it’s always really about power, punishment, and control. This week’s news makes that distinction painfully clear.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing another abortion provider for allegedly mailing abortion pills into the state. This time, the target is Debra Lynch, a nurse practitioner associated with Her Safe Harbor, based in Delaware.
If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Paxton is already suing Margaret Carpenter, while our neighboring state, Louisiana, is attempting to extradite both Carpenter and Rémy Coeytaux. These cases are part of an escalating effort by abortion-ban states to reach across state lines and punish providers in states where abortion is legal.
But this case is different in one important, and very chilling, way.
Suing Speech, Not Evidence
Unlike past lawsuits that at least claimed to be about specific patients, Texas’ lawsuit against Lynch appears to be built largely on her own public statements. Paxton’s complaint alleges that Lynch “boasted to media outlets” about mailing abortion medication to Texans, and asks the court to impose the maximum civil penalties allowed under Texas law.
As law professor and abortion historian Mary Ziegler told Abortion Every Day, “It doesn’t sound like they know when any of the abortions happened.”
In other words: Texas may not be able to point to a single patient, a single date, or a single confirmed abortion, but they’re suing anyway.
Last summer, Paxton threatened Lynch and other providers with $100,000 fines for offering telemedicine abortion services. Rather than backing down, Lynch publicly stated she was undeterred. In fact, she said Paxton’s threats led to more than 250 additional requests for abortion pills from Texans.
That’s not defiance for defiance’s sake. That’s providers responding to real needs here in Texas, where abortion is banned at every stage of pregnancy.
The Bigger Picture: Escalation on All Fronts
This lawsuit doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It comes as Texas’ HB 7, a new law designed to criminalize anyone who sends abortion pills into the state, has taken effect. At the same time, Republican lawmakers across the country are attacking the safety of abortion medication via telehealth, despite decades of medical evidence showing both are safe and effective.
Anti-abortion legal activists like Jonathan Mitchell are increasingly targeting providers in shield states — states like Delaware that have explicitly passed laws to protect abortion providers from out-of-state prosecution.
Delaware strengthened its shield law in late 2025, barring state officials from cooperating with out-of-state investigations related to abortion care. As The Guardian notes, Texas’ case against Lynch may hinge on when any pills were allegedly mailed, and whether that timing predates Delaware’s expanded protections. But again, Texas hasn’t made that clear.
What is clear is their strategy is to create fear, chill speech, and isolate providers. They want to make examples out of people who refuse to be quiet.
What This Means for Texans
Here in the Texas Panhandle, access to healthcare was already limited long before abortion bans completely crippled our access. Now, patients are being told they don’t just risk legal consequences. They also risk becoming pawns in political stunts designed to scare everyone involved.
This lawsuit sends a message not just to providers, but to journalists, advocates, and anyone who dares to speak openly about abortion access: stay quiet, or else. We whole-heartedly reject that message.
People in Amarillo and across rural Texas deserve accurate information, compassionate care, and the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies without the Attorney General using the courts as a weapon.
Where We Stand
This is not the first time an abortion-ban state has tried to punish providers in states where abortion is legal. It will not be the last. But each escalation reveals the same truth: these laws are not about safety or morality. They’re about control — and silencing those who refuse to comply.
We’re grateful to Abortion Every Day for continuing to report on these cases clearly and rigorously, and we’ll keep paying close attention as this story develops.
Silence is exactly what the Texas government wants.
And from Amarillo, we choose something else.
If you, or someone you know, needs information about your reproductive options, please find our list of trusted resources here.
