Texas Father Has Filed First-of-Its-Kind Federal Lawsuit Against California Doctor Over Alleged Abortion Pill Deaths

Jonathan Mitchell, the architect behind Texas’s controversial SB8 heartbeat law, represents Rodriguez in this latest legal offensive. Mitchell argues that Dr. Coeytaux violated federal law by knowingly using mail services to transport abortion-inducing drugs from California to Texas, regardless of California’s legal protections for such activities.

The lawsuit also invokes Texas Penal Code § 19.02, alleging felony murder charges against Coeytaux for knowingly facilitating what Texas law considers illegal abortions. The complaint cites multiple state law violations, including requirements that abortion drugs be administered only by Texas-licensed physicians, following mandatory informed consent procedures, ultrasound requirements, and administration at licensed facilities. Coeytaux, who lacks Texas medical licensing, allegedly satisfied none of these legal prerequisites.

Testing Blue State Shield Laws

The case represents a strategic test of so-called “abortion shield laws” enacted by blue states like California, New York, and Washington to protect their healthcare providers from legal consequences when treating out-of-state patients seeking reproductive services.