Overview
- Louisiana indicted Bay Area physician Dr. Rémy Coeytaux on a felony count of criminal abortion by means of abortion‑inducing drugs tied to a 2023 mailing to St. Tammany Parish.
- Court filings allege a package containing mifepristone and misoprostol was ordered through Aid Access in October 2023, with investigators saying postal data confirmed Coeytaux as the sender.
- Gov. Jeff Landry said he sent extradition paperwork, but Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected the request, citing Executive Order N‑12‑22 and California’s policy to protect lawful reproductive care.
- If convicted in Louisiana, the charge carries up to 50 years in prison, and the state in 2024 reclassified mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled dangerous substances.
- The dispute follows New York’s refusal to extradite a different doctor in a similar case, and Coeytaux is also named in a separate federal lawsuit in Texas related to abortion medication.