The case against Dr. Margaret Carpenter appears to be the first instance of criminal charges against a doctor accused of prescribing abortion pills to a patient in another state.
So what are shield laws exactly, and what does the future hold for them? TIME spoke to experts to find out.
Many of the bills filed in state legislatures across the country focus on abortion pills, abortion access for minors, and, in at least one state, how to undo protections for the procedure, The 19th reports.