Alaska Governor Signs Bill to Help Stop Taxpayer-Funded Abortions

Gov. Sean Parnell signed Senate Bill 49 into law on Thursday in an effort to stop the state from paying for abortions with taxpayer dollars.

The legislation defines what constitutes a “medically necessary” abortion for purposes of state Medicaid coverage of the abortions. Alaska Planned Parenthood, an abortion business, is unhappy about the law.

But Jim Minnery, the president of Alaska Family Action, says the legislation reduces Medicaid fraud. Here’s what he told LifeNews after passage of the bill:

Our joy at seeing final passage of this legislation is tempered only a little by the predictably biased media coverage.  The liberal news reporters are so heavily invested in the pro-abortion narrative that they simply can’t bring themselves to report on the basic facts that drove this legislation forward.

Those basic facts are worth repeating: reliable studies show that only about 4 percent of abortion patients had their abortions for any kind of rationale having to do with their physical health.  Yet in Alaska, between 35 and 40 percent of all abortions performed every year are being paid for through the Medicaid program, with taxpayer funds.  In other words – the vast majority of abortions paid for with taxpayer dollars are being performed on perfectly healthy mothers who are carrying perfectly healthy babies – but who simply don’t want to be pregnant.  That’s the “inconvenient truth” that the liberal media doesn’t want the public to know.

We need to thank those leaders who helped win passage of SB 49.  Many lawmakers were involved in this battle, including the prime sponsors, cosponsors, key committee chairmen, and those who spoke out in favor of the bill during floor debates and committee hearings.  However, at the risk of leaving someone out, we want to focus today on praising the actions of three key supporters of SB 49 – and ask you to take a moment to email or call their offices to express your gratitude.

Senator John Coghill (R – Fairbanks) –  Senator Coghill was the prime sponsor of SB 49 and helped guide the bill through a complex series of committee hearings, and eventually to final passage on the Senate floor.  Click here to send a thank you note to Senator Coghill.

Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux (R-Anchorage) – Rep. LeDoux was the prime sponsor of HB 173, which was the companion bill to SB 49 in the House.  She worked tirelessly to advance the bill through the House committee process, and expertly defended the bill from hostile floor amendments and helped secure final passage on the House floor.  Click here to tell Rep. LeDoux how much you appreciate her work!

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Rep. Bill Stoltze (R-Chugiak) – As Co-Chairman of the House Finance Committee, Rep. Stoltze helped shepherd SB 49 through its last and most difficult committee of referral.  The House Finance Committee was very closely divided on SB 49 – as evidenced by its narrow 6 to 5 vote to pass the bill.  Rep. Stoltze worked quietly behind the scenes to help ensure that SB 49 did not die in House Finance – making him an “unsung hero” in this legislative victory.  Click here to express your thanks for Rep. Stoltze’s leadership.

Passage of SB 49 is a crucial victory – but in another sense it just marks the beginning of a new phase in this battle.  Planned Parenthood has promised to file a lawsuit challenging this measure, just as they filed a suit earlier this year challenging similar regulations on abortion funding adopted by the Parnell Administration.  We will be following this court challenge very carefully and keeping you informed every step of the way.