Republicans in Louisiana demanded California turn over a doctor who has been shipping abortion medication to their state — but Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday told them to pound sand.
The doctor in question, Remy Coeytaux, was indicted by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill earlier this week, on charges that could include up to 50 years of hard labor, and Gov. Jeff Landry proclaimed the defendant must be rendered to their state.
"I am signing the extradition paperwork to bring this California doctor to justice," said Landry in a post on X. "Louisiana has a zero tolerance policy for those who subvert our laws, seek to hurt women, and promote abortion. I know Gavin Newsom supports abortion in all its forms, but that doesn’t work in Louisiana. We are unapologetically pro-life."
In response, Newsom posted a four-word statement to X on Wednesday: "Louisiana's request is denied."
With several Republican-controlled states imposing near-total bans on abortion, the new front of the fight has moved to abortion medication, which can often be shipped easily between states in spite of laws that seek to restrict the practice.
In a twist development, Wyoming's first-in-the-nation categorical ban on abortion medication was struck down earlier this month by the state Supreme Court, under a state constitutional health care rights amendment that was passed in 2012 in protest of the Affordable Care Act.
