A Texas father is suing a California doctor for alleging aiding and abetting the murder of two of his unborn babies by illegally mailing mifepristone to the estranged husband of the man’s girlfriend.
Jerry Rodriguez is the first Texan to take advantage of the Lone Star State’s new law, which permits residents to sue out-of-state mifepristone prescribers, manufacturers, and distributors, such as pharmacies, for “an amount of not less than $100,000” for each violation of the Texas’ ban on abortion drugs.
The Texas legislature designed the law, which passed in September and went into effect in December, to combat the influx of Democrat states shielding abortion drug traffickers who use radically expanded mail-order mifepristone allowances to illegally ship abortion pills to people in pro-life states. Enforcement of the statute is modeled after Texas’ successful 2021 heartbeat bill, which virtually eliminated abortion in the state by allowing anyone outside of the government to bring a civil action against anyone who performs or aids and abets ending a life in the womb.
In his suit, Rodriguez alleged California Dr. Remy Coeytaux illicitly mailed the mifepristone that ended his unborn babies’ lives on two separate occasions.
“Coeytaux directly committed murder under section 19.02(b)(1) because he ‘intentionally and knowingly caused the death’ of Mr. Rodriguez’s unborn child by delivering abortion pills that he knew would be used in an illegal self-managed abortion,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit also suggested the abortion drug manufacturers and distributors will also be named as defendants because they are “jointly and severally liable for the wrongful death of Mr. Rodriguez’s unborn child.”
Rodriguez and his girlfriend Kendal Garza first became pregnant in July 2024. The complaint claims Garza was “happy about the pregnancy and told Mr. Rodriguez that she planned to give birth.” Garza’s estranged husband, however, was allegedly displeased with this decision and reportedly used his information and his debit card to secure $150 worth of abortion pills from Coeytaux via Venmo.
Garza allegedly downed the pills in September 2024 after she was “pressured her to kill the baby with the drugs obtained from Coeytaux.”
Approximately 10 percent of women who ingest mifepristone reportedly suffer a serious adverse event such as hemorrhage or infection. Similarly, a majority of abortions, nearly 70 percent, are believed to be unwanted, coerced, or inconsistent with the mother’s values and desires. A slew of lawsuits suggest many women have suffered abuse, abortion pill poisonings, and coerced abortions due to mifepristone prescribers and distributors’ flouting of Texas’ and other pro-life states’ abortion pill bans.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved Mifeprex label warns that a mother whose pregnancy is further along than the recommended 10 weeks should not take mifepristone because her risk of complications is so high. Yet, the lawsuit states Garza was more than 10 weeks pregnant at the time she took the abortion drug.
By October 2024, Garza was pregnant by Rodriguez again. The lawsuit claims she was “again happy about the pregnancy and told Mr. Rodrigez that she planned to give birth to their child, a son.” Garza and Rodriguez even allegedly attended a doctor’s appointment where they saw their unborn baby, a son, via ultrasound.
By January, Garza used the pills her estranged husband bought to complete a “self-managed abortion even though she was nearly three months pregnant and even though Mr. Rodriguez pleaded with her not to do it.” The lawsuit states Garza allegedly “had to cut the baby boy’s umbilical cord and bury him.”
Rodriguez is not only seeking damages for the wrongful death of both of his children, but also asks the court to issue an injunction “to stop Coeytaux from distributing abortion-inducing drugs in violation of Texas law.” Rodriguez’s counsel was careful to note that Texas law requires the state to fend off any “revenge lawsuit” Coeytaux, with the backing of California, might file against the father.
Coeytaux, an affiliate of abortion drug dealer Aid Access, was one of several mifepristone named in cease and desist orders from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in August 2025. Paxton not only demanded the parties “immediately cease” their illegal abortion drug trafficking scheme, but threatened “further legal action, lawsuits seeking injunctive relief, and civil penalties of no less than $100,000 per violation under Texas law.”
Jordan Boyd is an award-winning staff writer at The Federalist and producer of “The Federalist Radio Hour.” Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.
