Even though the House voted to restrict funding for trans care during this week’s budget amendments, it did narrowly reject two anti-abortion amendments.
On a pair of 20-20 votes, legislators rejected Republican attempts to insert anti-abortion language aimed at skirting the Alaska Constitution’s privacy clause that the Alaska Supreme Court has ruled protects Alaskans’ right to an abortion into the state budget. The measures would have specifically restricted Medicaid coverage of the procedure.
“This is really about allowing Medicaid and the state funds to be used for medical procedures, not to go beyond that into areas that someone like myself morally has a problem with,” said Palmer Republican Rep. DeLena Johnson of one amendment restricting funding what opponents like her claim are “elective” abortions.
The amendment targeting funding for the so-called “elective” abortions has long been included in the budget despite Alaska Supreme Court rulings that have made it largely symbolic. Right-wing legislators described abortion in ghastly terms during the debate. Rep. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River, claimed Alaska’s abortion laws and providers are so lax that a woman in the process of giving birth can “look at the doctor and say, ‘Kill the baby.'”
Rep. Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage, was the only legislator to stand up in opposition to the amendment, reminding them that the Alaska Supreme Court has already ruled that they cannot budget away someone’s constitutional rights.
That amendment failed on a 20-20 vote after moderate Kodiak Republican Rep. Louise Stutes broke with all other Republicans on the issue.
The same went for another amendment that would have blocked funding for any abortions once a fetus’ heartbeat is detected, typically a stage so early into a pregnancy that most people don’t know they’re pregnant. Again, Republicans argued that their morals should be reflected in the budget by broadly blocking funding for the procedure.
Again, Rep. Mina spoke out against the measure.
“This is unconstitutional as ruled by the Supreme Court twice,” she said. “And this is actually more restrictive than what is currently available and accessible for Alaskans.”
Fairbanks Democratic Rep. Ashley Carrick also noted that the Alaska Supreme Court ruling “stated that the legislature’s spending power does not create license to disregard citizens’ constitutional rights.” She said it would also disproportionately affect lower-income Alaskans.
Allard spoke in favor of the measure, spinning a convoluted story about becoming pregnant and getting stabbed at the Gambell Street Carrs grocery store — a largely misaligned store in one of the lower-income areas of the city — and dying. She said prosecutors would be able to charge the perpetrator for the death of the fetus, arguing that it only made sense to also limit access to abortions.
Big Lake Republican Rep. Kevin McCabe added that he cannot wait for the day that the U.S. Supreme Court revisits abortion and rules that life begins at conception.
Again, the measure was defeated on a 20-20 vote.
The House wrapped up amendment work on the budget late Tuesday and is expected to take up debate and a vote on the measure today.
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Bluesky.
