Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill warned Tuesday she may sue the governors of California and New York for shielding out-of-state abortionists accused of illegally providing abortion pills to women in states where killing babies is banned,
Tis could be the start of escalating a national clash over illegal abortion pills that pro-life advocates say endanger women’s lives and undermine state protections for the unborn.
The threat comes amid an arrest warrant issued for California abortionist Remy Coeytaux, accused of mailing abortion drugs to a Louisiana woman in 2023 in violation of the state’s abortion ban. The case highlights how shield laws in Democrat states like California and New York are allegedly obstructing justice by protecting providers who flout conservative states’ restrictions on chemical abortions, which critics contend pose severe health risks to mothers while circumventing safeguards for fetal life
.Murrill, a staunch defender of Louisiana’s pro-life laws, decried the “unlawful distribution” of these pills as “dangerous,” vowing to use “any legal means available” to hold violators accountable.
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“I will sue governors whose shield laws purport to protect these individuals from criminal conduct” in Louisiana, she said, emphasizing her commitment to enforcing state statutes that prohibit abortions at all stages of pregnancy.
The warrant against Coeytaux stems from an incident involving Rosalie Markezich, a Louisiana woman who testified she was coerced into taking the pills by her boyfriend. Markezich, now joining a lawsuit to block telehealth prescriptions for mifepristone, shared her harrowing experience: “The trauma of my chemical abortion still haunts me.”
She added, “It would not have happened if telehealth prescriptions to the drug were off limits,” a sentiment that resonates with pro-life groups arguing such remote dispensing bypasses essential medical oversight and exposes vulnerable women to unregulated harm.
Court documents unsealed September 19 detail how Markezich’s boyfriend allegedly used her email to order the pills from Coeytaux, paying $150 that she forwarded under duress. Physicians like Coeytaux face up to 15 years in prison and $200,000 fines if convicted under Louisiana’s ban.
Murrill praised Markezich’s courage, stating, “Rosalie is bravely representing many women who are victimized by the illegal, immoral, and unethical conduct of these drug dealers.”
Shield laws in eight states, including California and New York, purport to immunize providers from out-of-state prosecution for mailing abortion pills, a measure pro-life advocates decry as an assault on sovereignty and the right to life.
In a parallel case, New York officials are refusing to extradite abortionist Margaret Carpenter to Louisiana or enforce a Texas civil judgment against her, citing the Empire State’s protections.
