The largest provider of abortions in Alaska wants the state to loosen its requirement that only certified doctors perform abortions.
On Thursday, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and Hawaii filed suit in Superior Court against the State of Alaska to remove those requirements and open the abortion industry to nurse practitioners, physician assistants and midwives. The move is part of a national strategy playing out in many states to roll back medical requirements regarding abortion.
Despite serious health risks reported in the FDA findings, Planned Parenthood’s attorney Kim Clark claimed that Alaska’s regulation of abortion is “based in political ideology rather than medicine”
Planned Parenthood, which does the vast majority of all abortions in Alaska, claims the state’s policy is too restrictive, and that repealing it will give abortionists greater access to rural areas of the state.
“This additional burden to care is outdated and does nothing to keep Alaskans safe. This is about adding another step, or barrier to care that will have long-lasting impacts on patients,” said Chris Charbonneau, CEO of Planned Parenthood in Alaska. “Many people in Alaska choose to get their health care from a range of health care providers, but this law singles out one low-risk medical procedure with no serious medical justification.”
The FDA, however, disagrees. In data gathered from 2000 to 2011 it found that those who used the abortion pill RU 486 suffered from 2,207 adverse effects. The study of 1.5 million cases included 14 deaths, 58 ectopic pregnancies, 256 cases of infections, 339 cases of blood loss requiring transfusions, and 612 hospitalizations.
Despite serious health risks reported in the FDA findings, Planned Parenthood’s attorney Kim Clark claimed that Alaska’s regulation of abortion is “based in political ideology rather than medicine.”
Planned Parenthood is challenging laws similar to Alaska’s in Wisconsin, Maine and Idaho. One such law was overturned by the Montana Supreme Court earlier this year.
