Newsom Blocks Louisiana Extradition of Bay Area Doctor

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that he would block Louisiana's request to extradite a San Francisco Bay Area physician accused of mailing abortion medication to a woman in that state. The decision pits two states with sharply contrasting abortion policies against each other, highlighting ongoing tensions over interstate enforcement of reproductive health laws following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The physician, Remy Coeytaux, faces a criminal charge in Louisiana of abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs, announced Tuesday by state Attorney General Liz Murrill. If convicted, he could face up to 50 years in prison and substantial fines. According to court documents, Coeytaux allegedly sent mifepristone and misoprostol in October 2023 to a woman in St. Tammany Parish through Aid Access, an online telemedicine service based in Europe. The woman used the pills to terminate her pregnancy, and Louisiana authorities confirmed Coeytaux as the sender. Murrill told reporters she believes this is not the only instance of such shipments into the state and indicated further indictments could follow.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a...