Louisiana authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a doctor in California. The reason? They say he mailed abortion pills to someone in Louisiana. Abortion is illegal in Louisiana.
The doctor, reportedly Dr. Remy Coeytaux, is accused of sending mifepristone, a common abortion pill. Court papers say the pills were for a woman who later claimed her boyfriend forced her to take them.
The woman, Rosalie Markezich, says her boyfriend used her email to get the pills. She told him she wanted to keep the baby, but he got angry when she refused the medication, according to the court documents. She says she took the pills but tried to throw them up. Now, she is dealing with emotional pain.
Louisiana’s Attorney General, Liz Murrill, says it’s illegal and dangerous to send these pills to people in Louisiana.
The case is part of a bigger fight over getting abortion pills through the mail or online. Some say requiring in-person visits could prevent people from being forced into abortions. Others argue that forcing someone to continue a pregnancy can also be a form of control.
Louisiana banned abortions after the Supreme Court ended the nationwide right to abortion in 2022. The only exception is to save the mother’s life. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.
California has a law to protect doctors who provide abortion care, even if it’s illegal in another state. But Louisiana’s Attorney General says she will still prosecute those who break Louisiana’s laws.
This isn’t the first time Louisiana has gone after an out-of-state doctor for providing abortion pills. They charged a New York doctor earlier this year, but that case is still ongoing.
