Louisiana officials are moving to bring a California physician back to the Bayou State to face criminal charges tied to alleged abortion-drug shipments, according to state Attorney General Liz Murrill.
Murrill announced Tuesday that Remy Coeytaux, a San Francisco-area doctor, was indicted in St. Tammany Parish on a charge of abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs. If convicted, Coeytaux could face up to 50 years in prison and fines, according to Murrill's office.
Authorities allege that Coeytaux sent the abortion-inducing drugs mifepristone and misoprostol to a Louisiana woman, who then took the pills to end her pregnancy. Court documents state the woman learned of the drugs through Aid Access, an Austria-based telemedicine business that helps women procure abortion drugs through the mail.
"This is not healthcare; it's drug dealing," Murrill, who was set to testify Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions during a hearing on mifepristone, said in a statement Tuesday.
"Individuals who flagrantly and intentionally violate our laws by sending illegal abortion pills into our state placing women in danger," she added. "We've seen the proof of that, with women showing up in emergency rooms after taking these pills and being coerced into abortions."
Gov. Jeff Landry later confirmed in a post on X that he would sign the extradition paperwork.
"Louisiana has a zero tolerance policy for those who subvert our laws, seek to hurt women, and promote abortion," Landry said. "I know [California Gov.] Gavin Newsom supports abortion in all its forms, but that doesn't work in Louisiana. We are unapologetically pro-life."
Newsom, a Democrat, has not publicly stated whether his state will comply with Louisiana's request.
Louisiana has some of the nation's most stringent anti-abortion laws, including a total ban on the procedure that took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The ban includes limited exceptions for the life and health of the mother and fatal fetal anomalies but not rape or incest.
The extradition effort also tees up a direct test of California's "shield law," which is designed to protect healthcare providers and patients from out-of-state investigations and prosecutions connected to abortion and gender-transition care.
Pro-life groups such as the Alliance Defending Freedom have argued shield laws undermine states' rights, while abortion-rights groups including the Center for Reproductive Rights have described them as key protections for access in states with total or near-total bans.
This marks the second time Louisiana has sought to extradite a doctor in connection with abortion medication. In the earlier case, a mother was accused of requesting abortion drugs online from a New York doctor for her pregnant minor daughter. The mother was arrested, pleaded not guilty and was released on bond, according to The Associated Press.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, refused to extradite the doctor, saying in a video posted to social media that she would "never, under any circumstances, turn this doctor over to the state of Louisiana," setting off a legal fight.
In addition to California and New York, six other states — Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington — have shield laws that protect providers regardless of patient location.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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