Louisiana moved Tuesday to seek the extradition of a California physician accused of mailing abortion pills to a woman in the state, a move advocates said could test whether “shield laws” protect telehealth providers in states with abortion bans.
The push followed Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s announcement that Remy Coeytaux, a physician in the San Francisco Bay Area, faces a criminal charge of abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs. Murrill said that if convicted, the doctor could face up to 50 years in jail and fines.
Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, said on social media that he wants to bring the abortion provider “to justice” and announced that he had sent extradition paperwork. In the same post, Landry said Louisiana has a zero tolerance policy for those who subvert its laws, seek to hurt women, and promote abortion.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment, and an email and telephone message seeking comment were left for Coeytaux, according to the report. Murrill told the Associated Press she believes this “is not the only time he sent abortion pills into our state” and that “it probably won’t be the last time we will indict him.”
Court documents cited in the case accuse Coeytaux of mailing mifepristone and misoprostol in 2023 to a Louisiana woman who sought the medication through Aid Access, a European online telemedicine service. The documents said the woman took the pills in combination to end her pregnancy, and investigators wrote that authorities confirmed Coeytaux as the sender. The Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing Coeytaux against civil charges, said the Louisiana criminal charge is an allegation.
In a written statement, Nancy Northup, president of the group, said: “While we can’t comment on this matter itself, one thing is clear — the state of Louisiana is going after doctors for allegedly harming women, yet they are enforcing an abortion ban that puts women’s lives at risk every day.” The group’s statement also emphasized that it is defending Coeytaux in separate legal proceedings.
Coeytaux is also facing a separate federal lawsuit filed in July in Texas, where a man alleges the doctor illegally provided abortion medication to his girlfriend. The Associated Press report said medication abortion has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration since 2000.
Louisiana bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest, the report said. It also reported that physicians convicted of providing abortions in the state face up to 15 years in prison and $200,000 in fines, and that last year lawmakers passed additional restrictions targeting out-of-state prescribers and reclassified mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled dangerous substances.
The extradition bid comes as Louisiana and other states clash over the scope of shield laws that protect providers operating across state lines. The report said Louisiana previously sought extradition of a New York doctor accused of mailing abortion pills to a pregnant minor, and that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul refused, saying shield laws are designed to protect providers who offer abortion care to patients in states with bans or where telehealth prescribing is restricted. The Guttmacher Institute said New York and California are among eight states with such protections.