Gavin Newsom on Wednesday rejected a request to extradite a California physician accused of providing abortion medication to a Louisiana patient, marking the latest clash between states with sharply different abortion laws following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe vs. Wade. Not ever.”The extradition request stems from criminal charges filed in Louisiana against Dr. Rémy Coeytaux, a California-based physician accused of prescribing and mailing abortion pills to a Louisiana resident in 2023 through a telemedicine service. Since the Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion in 2022, a growing number of states have moved to criminalize reproductive care. About 16 states, including Texas and Louisiana, now ban abortion almost entirely, with some allowing criminal penalties or civil lawsuits against providers. Newsom cast his decision to reject the extradition as part of a broader push by California to protect reproductive rights as Republican-led states move to restrict abortion access.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 15, 2026 14:57 UTC