California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Wednesday rejected the request from Louisiana officials to extradite a California doctor accused of illegally mailing abortion medication.
"Louisiana's request is denied," Newsom said in a statement. "My position on this has been clear since 2022: 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," Newsom continued. "We will never be complicit with Trump's war on women."
Newsom's office noted that he declined an extradition request that sought to "prosecute a person for providing, receiving, or assisting with reproductive health care that is legal in California." Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) accused physician Remy Coeytaux of shipping the abortion-inducing drugs mifepristone and misoprostol to a Louisiana woman, who then took the pills to end her pregnancy.
"Federal and state law give Governor Newsom discretion to reject extradition requests in cases, like this one, where the alleged conduct occurred in California," Newsom's office stated.
Newsom also shared Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry's post on the social platform X about the doctor. Landry shared a video announcing that Coeytaux, a San Francisco-area physician, had been indicted in St. Tammany Parish on a criminal charge of abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs.
The California governor captioned Landry's post with: "Louisiana's request is denied."
The Hill reached out to Murrill's office for comment.
Murrill accused Coeytaux of "drug dealing" and said Coeytaux "flagrantly and intentionally violates our laws by sending illegal abortion pills into our state placing women in danger."
California is one of eight states that have shield laws, which protect health care providers and patients from being investigated and prosecuted out-of-state in connection with abortion and gender-affirming care.
The Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing Coeytaux against civil charges in a separate matter, noted that "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," according to President and CEO Nancy Northup.
"Abortion pills are widely used and incredibly safe, including when provided via telehealth. Women should also be able to get safe and legal abortion care in their own state," Northup previously told The Hill. "Thousands of women seek abortion pills via mail every year because abortion is banned in their state, and that will not change until abortion is legal everywhere."
Louisiana's attempt to extradite Coeytaux marks the second time it has tried to extradite a doctor for prescribing abortion medication. Last time, the state accused a mother of requesting drugs online from a New York doctor to give to her daughter, who was a minor and pregnant.
Colorado, Washington, and most of New England -- Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island and Maine -- have shield laws that protect doctors regardless of their patient's location.