Newsom says he is blocking Louisiana’s push to extradite doctor accused of mailing abortion pills

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday he was blocking Louisiana’s attempt to extradite a doctor in the Golden State accused of mailing abortion pills.

The Democratic governor’s announcement comes a day after Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, said he sent the extradition paperwork in an effort to bring the physician “to justice.” Louisiana has some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country, while California law aims to protect abortion providers from criminal prosecution for treating out-of-state patients.

Newsom said extraditing the doctor would have violated an executive order he signed in 2022 barring state agencies in his administration from assisting other states’ efforts to prosecute abortion providers.

“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,” he said in a statement. “Not today. Not ever.”

Landry’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Newsom’s announcement.

Louisiana was pushing to extradite Remy Coeytaux, a physician in the San Francisco Bay Area. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said Tuesday Coeytaux faced a criminal charge of abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs and risked spending up to 50 years in jail if convicted.

An email and a telephone message seeking comment from Coeytaux Tuesday on the extradition push went unanswered.