California Governor Gavin Newsom has refused a request from Louisiana to extradite a doctor accused of mailing abortion pills into the southern state, citing state laws that protect abortion providers from out-of-state prosecution. In a statement on Wednesday, Newsom said: 'Louisiana's request is denied. We will not allow extremist politicians from other states to reach into California and try to punish doctors based on allegations that they provided reproductive health care services. Not today. Not ever.'
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced the extradition request for Dr Remy Coeytaux, who is based in California. According to records released by Murrill's office, Coeytaux allegedly mailed pills to a woman in Louisiana in October 2023 through Aid Access, an organisation that distributes abortion pills across the US, in violation of Louisiana's near-total abortion ban. Coeytaux has been charged under a Louisiana statute that bans 'criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs', which carries a potential sentence of up to 50 years of hard labour if convicted.
Aid Access providers operate under so-called 'shield laws', which are designed to protect abortion providers from extradition and prosecution by other states. Several blue states, including California, enacted such laws after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022. Abortion opponents argue that these shield laws are unlawful.
Murrill criticised Newsom's decision, stating: 'It's appalling to see the California governor and attorney general openly admitting that they will protect an individual from being held accountable for illegal, medically unethical and dangerous conduct that led to a woman being coerced into terminating the life of her unborn child.' However, the documents released do not indicate that the woman who received the pills said she was coerced.
This is not the first time Louisiana has sought extradition of an out-of-state doctor. The state previously requested the extradition of New York-based Dr Margaret Carpenter over similar allegations. New York Governor Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat, refused that request, citing her state's shield law.
