California Doctor Faces Warrant in Louisiana Abortion Case

Authorities in Louisiana have issued an arrest warrant for a doctor from California who is accused of sending abortion pills to a woman she has never communicated with.

Court documents reveal that Dr. Remy Coetau allegedly mailed pills to Rosalie Marchezic, a Louisiana resident, in 2023. Marchezic claims that her boyfriend ordered the medication using her email and transferred $150 to her, although she did not have any prior contact with the doctor.

Marchezic expresses feeling coerced into taking the pills and shares that “my chemical abortion trauma still bothers me.” She suggests that if telehealth prescriptions were better regulated, this might not have occurred.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill remarked that “Rosalie bravely represents many women who have been victimized by the illegal, immoral, and unethical conduct of these drug dealers.” She is pushing for an order to prohibit the telehealth prescription of Mifepristone.

Currently, under Louisiana’s abortion laws, doctors could face up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to $200,000 for performing abortions at any stage of pregnancy.

This issue has resurfaced for Dr. Coetau, as she also faces legal action relating to a case where abortion pills were allegedly sent to a woman by her estranged partner. The actions reportedly took place in September 2024.

Dr. Coetau has yet to respond to requests for comment. Abortion drugs have been legally available in the U.S. since 2000, following the FDA’s approval of mifepristone. Recently, the Supreme Court declined to expand access to Mifepristone, although they did not rule on the case’s principal issues, preserving access for the moment.

A collective of 19 Democratic state attorneys general recently issued a statement affirming that Mifepristone is safe and urging careful scrutiny of its FDA review. The Telehealth Abortion Coalition has similarly stated that these medications are vital for women’s healthcare.