Texas man sues California doctor who shipped abortion pills to girlfriend

article

Misoprostol, one of the two drugs used in a medication abortion, is displayed at the Women's Reproductive Clinic, which provides legal medication abortion services, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on June 17, 2022. Mifepristone is taken first to stop th

Expand

GALVESTON, Texas - A Galveston County man filed a federal lawsuit claiming a California doctor shipped abortion-inducing pills to his girlfriend at the direction of her estranged husband.

In the lawsuit, Jerry Rodriguez claims his girlfriend was mailed abortion pills by Dr. Remy Coeytaux that were ordered by her estranged husband. Court documents state the girlfriend took the pills in September 2024 to terminate the pregnancy, and was again pushed to terminate a second pregnancy later at the direction of her estranged husband.

What they're saying:

According to court documents, the woman is currently pregnant and Rodriguez is afraid the woman will be pressured to "kill his unborn child and obtain abortion pills from Coeytaux to commit the murder."

Rodriguez is asking the court for more than $75,000 in damages and an injunction on Coeytaux for "all current and future fathers of unborn children in the United States."

Other abortion pill lawsuits

Big picture view:

The case is similar to a case filed in a Texas court in 2023 where a New York doctor prescribed abortion pills to a 20-year-old Collin County woman.

The judge in that case ordered the doctor to pay $100,000 and granted a permanent injunction against Dr. Maggie Carpenter.

Unlike the lawsuit filed in federal court, the man who impregnated the Collin County woman said he was unaware the woman was pregnant until after she had taken the pills.

Shield Laws

The Galveston case will be a federal test of "shield laws," which give legal protections to doctors who prescribe abortion medication to states where abortions are banned or limited.

In California, an arrest warrant cannot be issued for an alleged violation of another state’s laws criminalizing abortion, contraception, and gender-affirming healthcare services legal in California, regardless of the patient’s location.

Texas abortion laws

Texas’ abortion laws prohibit criminalizing or otherwise going after the person who undergoes the abortion.

Texas laws prohibit the distribution of abortion-inducing drugs through delivery or mail. Another law prohibits doctors without a Texas medical license from treating patients through telemedicine.

During the last legislative session, state lawmakers tried to increase the penalties for distributing and facilitating the distribution of abortion pills from out-of-state sources. The bill passed through the Senate before failing to get out of the House committee.

What's next:

 The bill has been refiled in the House as House Bill 37 for the current special session and "protecting unborn children" was listed as one of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's priority bills for the Senate during the session as Senate Bill 8. As of Thursday, the Senate bill has not been filed.