SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom has formally rejected a request from Louisiana to extradite a California doctor for providing abortion medication that is legal under California law, reaffirming the state’s refusal to cooperate with efforts by other states to criminalize reproductive health care.
According to a press release from the governor’s office issued Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, Newsom exercised his legal authority to deny the extradition request, emphasizing that California will not assist attempts by other states to punish providers for delivering lawful reproductive health services within its borders.
“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,” Newsom said in the release. “We will never be complicit with Trump’s war on women,” he continued.
The governor’s office said the decision is consistent with Executive Order N-12-22, which authorizes California officials to decline extradition requests from states seeking to prosecute individuals for “providing, receiving, or assisting with reproductive health care that is legal in California.”
The release also underscores that the charges filed in Louisiana are allegations, noting the importance of due process and reiterating that under both federal and state law, the governor has discretion to reject extradition requests when the alleged conduct occurred within California’s jurisdiction.
In addressing the state’s broader response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, the governor’s office outlined California’s ongoing efforts to strengthen protections for reproductive freedom and position the state as a safeguard for abortion access and reproductive health care.
As noted in the release, Newsom in September 2025 signed legislation aimed at protecting access to reproductive health care, including AB 260. The bill allows providers to prescribe abortion medication anonymously, requires state-regulated health plans to cover mifepristone regardless of its federal approval status, and strengthens protections for providers against criminal prosecution and civil liability for administering abortion medication.
In June 2025, California expanded the authority of CalRx to purchase brand-name drugs, enabling the state to respond to supply chain disruptions and politically motivated restrictions that could threaten access to essential medications, including those used for abortion care, according to the release.
The governor’s office also detailed steps California has taken to support out-of-state patients and providers affected by abortion bans.
In May 2024, Newsom signed legislation with the Legislative Women’s Caucus allowing Arizona abortion providers to temporarily practice in California, the release said. The measure was intended to ensure continuity of care for patients traveling from Arizona after that state reimposed an 1864 law that bans abortion almost entirely.
The release further noted that in January 2024, the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, led by Newsom, filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. The brief warned that undermining the FDA’s approval of mifepristone would restrict states’ ability to provide health care, with consequences extending well beyond reproductive medicine.
Additionally, the governor’s office reported that in April 2023, Newsom secured an “emergency stockpile” of misoprostol, which the release described as a “safe and effective” abortion medication, in anticipation of legal efforts to block access to abortion drugs nationwide.
In March 2023, Newsom joined 13 other governors in urging major pharmacy chains to clarify how they would dispense mifepristone and protect access to reproductive health care medications. One month earlier, in February 2023, the governor launched the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, a coalition of 23 governors working nationally to safeguard abortion access, the release said.
California voters in November 2022 approved Proposition 1, which amended the state Constitution to enshrine the right to reproductive freedom, including access to abortion care and contraception, according to the governor’s office.
That September, Newsom signed what the release described as the largest reproductive freedom legislative package in state history, strengthening legal firewalls to protect patients and providers from out-of-state abortion enforcement.
The governor’s office also pointed to the creation of Abortion.CA.Gov in September 2022, a statewide resource hub offering information on reproductive health care access, patient rights and available support services for people both inside and outside California.
On the same day Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, California enacted additional legislative protections. According to the release, the state invested more than $200 million in reproductive health care, issued an executive order to shield state data, and rejected extradition requests tied to lawful abortion care.
Newsom’s rejection of Louisiana’s extradition request, the governor’s office said, reflects California’s broader opposition to states attempting to extend abortion restrictions beyond their borders. The release emphasized that California will continue using every legal tool available to protect both patients and providers.
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