Louisiana Seeks Arrest of California Doctor in Abortion Pill Case
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office has issued a warrant for the arrest of a California-based doctor accused of mailing abortion pills to a Louisiana resident, Rosalie Markezich. The warrant, reported last week by Abortion Every Day, targets the physician from whom Markezich’s boyfriend allegedly ordered the medication. While the filing doesn’t name the doctor, it details the circumstances surrounding Markezich’s unwanted abortion.
According to a declaration by Markezich, during a car ride with her boyfriend, she expressed her desire to continue the pregnancy. She alleges he became verbally abusive, leading her to ingest the pills out of fear for her safety, with the intention of inducing vomiting. She was unable to vomit and subsequently began bleeding.
“Had the FDA required an in-person visit with a doctor before dispensing the drugs, my boyfriend would never have been able to obtain the drugs that he made me take,” Markezich stated. “I also would have told the doctor that I did not want to take them. And I would have told the doctor that I wanted to keep my baby.”
A spokesperson for the doctor declined to comment. Murrill, in a statement, indicated her hope that the federal government would reinstate stricter regulations on telemedicine abortion access. “Rosalie is bravely representing many women who are victimized by the illegal,immoral and unethical conduct of these drug dealers,” she said. A spokesperson for Murrill did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding potential charges against the doctor.
The case is part of a broader legal trend targeting providers of abortion pills across state lines. The doctor has previously been named in a lawsuit filed in Texas in July by a man alleging she supplied abortion pills to his girlfriend. Texas also issued a cease-and-desist order to the doctor in August, citing the state’s near-total abortion ban.
Louisiana and Texas are also pursuing legal action against Dr. Margaret Carpenter, a New York-based physician accused of mailing abortion pills to residents of both states. Louisiana has indicted Carpenter, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a civil lawsuit against her. A dispute over enforcing a court fine against Carpenter led to intervention from New York Attorney General Letitia James, who announced she would defend New York’s shield law protecting medical professionals.
Legal observers anticipate the US Supreme Court will eventually address the escalating legal conflicts between states with differing abortion laws.
