A New York doctor’s alleged decision to send abortion pills to patients in Texas and Louisiana has pitted the Empire State’s shield law against the two conservative states’ abortion bans, which are among the strictest in the country.

The ruling is the opening salvo in a likely lengthy battle between Texas’ abortion bans and New York’s “shield” protections for providers.

Arguments in a legal challenge brought by an abortion rights group in Michigan began Thursday as the group looks to eliminate some of the state’s remaining restrictions. The plaintiffs have argued that some state laws restricting abortion are no longer constitutional after voters approved a measure to enshrine the right to an abortion in the

Abortion providers had sued the state last year, arguing a ballot proposal passed in 2022 makes certain abortion restrictions unconstitutional.

The law in question requires patients to wait 24 hours after getting counseling materials before getting an abortion.