SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday that he is blocking Louisiana's attempt to extradite a doctor accused of mailing abortion pills. The move comes shortly after Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, stated that he had sent the necessary extradition paperwork to bring the physician "to justice."
Louisiana is known for having some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the United States. In contrast, California's legislative framework is designed to protect abortion providers from criminal prosecution for offering services to out-of-state patients. Newsom's stance is rooted in an executive order he signed in 2022, which prohibits state agencies under his administration from assisting other states in the prosecution of abortion providers.
The governor emphasized that extraditing the physician would be in direct violation of this order. He stated, "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."
The doctor in question, Remy Coeytaux, is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill stated that Coeytaux faces a criminal charge related to providing abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs. If convicted, Coeytaux could potentially face up to 50 years in prison.
As of Tuesday, efforts to reach Coeytaux for comment on the extradition attempt have been unsuccessful, with both an email and a telephone message going unanswered.
While Newsom's announcement has drawn attention, the response from Governor Landry's office to the decision has not been immediate or public. This situation underscores the growing divide between states regarding abortion access and the legal challenges surrounding reproductive healthcare.
The conflict between California and Louisiana on this issue highlights a broader landscape in the United States, where states are increasingly at odds over abortion laws. As more states move to restrict or protect abortion access, actions like Newsom's may become more common as governors seek to shield healthcare providers from external legal threats.
