URGENT ACTION NEEDED
SURPRISE BILL COULD END ABORTION
WHEREAS: Abortion in Alaska depends on the 1997 Valley Hospital case that created and protected the “right to abortion” under Alaskans’ Constitutional Right to Privacy.
WHEREAS: House Bill 107 is a criminal law definitions bill that:
WHEREAS: House Bill 107 will be struck down by Alaska’s courts without a legislative exclusion of abortion from the Constitutional Right to Privacy according to Article 1, Section 22 of Alaska’s Constitution.
THEREFORE: I am urging Representative Kevin McCabe to protect innocent babies from abortion by adding a definition of privacy that excludes abortion to HB 107.
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Imagine telling pregnant mothers – perhaps your wives, daughters, or others that you know and care for that for the sake of government efficiency, Alaska is reducing the options available to them, and they will have to give birth in doctor directed birth centers or hospitals increasing the time, difficulty, and cost of every baby they deliver.
Imagine telling those same pregnant mothers that to achieve greater government efficiency they submit to birthing practices that have:
Imagine telling those pregnant mothers that the same government efficiency that is going to force them into more difficult, dangerous, and expensive deliveries could cost the State at least $5.1 MILLION DOLLARS MORE per year than it does now.*
Governor Dunleavy issued Executive Order (EO) 130 on January 15, 2024, directing the Board of Certified Direct-Entry Midwives (the Board) to be eliminated and their licensing and administration duties to be transferred to the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED).
Governor Dunleavy’s proposal says that eliminating the Board will:
Governor Dunleavy’s EO 130 disregards the fact that the Board already operates very efficiently, producing a $67,000 surplus in FY 2021.
Governor Dunleavy’s EO 130 omits that a DCCED Records and Licensing Supervisor is already “efficiently administering” the Midwives’ licensing and certifications.
Governor Dunleavy’s EO 130 fails to explain which of the 435 DCCED administrators will replace the 5-member board of Midwives, Nurse Midwife, and Physician currently serving on the Board.
Governor Dunleavy’s EO 130 fails to explain how replacing the 5 Medical Professionals with the 435 DCCED administrators will develop greater expertise in the Midwifery profession.
While eliminating the Board will not immediately eliminate midwives and midwifery services in Alaska, EO 130 provides no assurances that the licensing and administration of Certified Direct Entry Midwives will not be degraded or eliminated.
More importantly, eliminating the 5 Medical Professionals from the oversight, administration, and training of Alaska’s Midwives will certainly lead to worse outcomes for Alaskan mothers and babies.
Maintaining the Board of Certified Direct-Entry Midwives is a critical part of the care Alaska’s Midwives provide Alaskan mothers every day.
Join thousands of Alaskans in urging Governor Dunleavy and ALL Alaskan Legislators to rescind or disapprove EO 130 and protect Alaskan Mothers’ right to choose the best care for themselves and their babies.