Medically necessary abortions would be defined as those needed to avoid serious risk to the life of the woman under a bill introduced in the Alaska Senate.
The measure, from Senate Majority Leader John Coghill, says the state health department may not pay for abortion services unless they are medically necessary or the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest and the rape or incest was "promptly reported" to law enforcement or public health authorities.
The Alaska Supreme Court has held that the state must fund medically necessary abortions if it funds other procedures deemed medically necessary for people in need. A legislative legal opinion last year, however, said it's not clear what makes an abortion medically necessary, and that it's likely only further litigation will provide greater clarity.
Only allow access to abortions for those that are raped? And only for those where the rape was "promptly reported?" What state does this neanderthal misogynist think he represents?
This is Alaska, where victims of rape and incest are more often than not in tiny villages with only one or two safety officers on hand, and where getting a State Trooper out there can take many hours if not days. And while they wait they are quite likely living with their attacker, if they are victims of incest, or surrounded by the perpetrator's family members who will pressure them into shutting up.
Coghill's proposed bill is an attack on women in this state, especially poor or native women, and should signal the end of his political career for all time.
If you are a woman in Alaska it is time for your voice to be heard loud and clear.
Here is Coghill's contact information. Don't bother trying to be respectful, he certainly has no respect for you.
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