Editor’s note: The State Legislature recently passed an operating budget which gives Gov. Mike Dunleavy the ability to use State Medicaid funds to pay for abortions. The following is an open letter to the governor from longtime Anchorage pro-life advocate Therese Syren.
Dear Gov. Dunleavy,
The lives of hundreds of unborn Alaskans are in your hands. To save them, it is only necessary not to utilize our Alaska budget to publicly fund their murder by abortion.
The life of Jesus Christ was once in the hands of a governor. Like him, you are faced with a demand for innocent blood, because most Alaska legislators who were elected to defend the sacredness of human life have, instead, capitulated to the “Party of Abortion” from the very outset of the 2023 legislative session.
Republicans in both chambers created caucuses with Planned Parenthood operatives, killing the ability to pass any meaningful legislation about abortion. The Senate formed a binding caucus and prohibited the issue of abortion from even being discussed. The House formed a Majority Caucus that gave the abortion-activist Bush Caucus near veto power over what the Majority does (if the Bush Caucus leaves, the Majority dissolves).
Moreover, the House Majority voted to put Planned Parenthood-endorsed abortion activists in control of the House Finance Committee, which supervises nearly 70% of all bills and 100% of the budget. Of the 11 members, six were pro-abortion Democrats. Of the three chairpersons, two were pro-abortion Democrats. This is the riotous crowd that now demands your cooperation with a budget which may – once again – be used to pay for abortions.
The one who wills the means, wills the end.
To protect the lives of unborn Alaskans and their families from the resulting devastation, it is necessary to avoid – at all costs – the tragic error of Pontius Pilate. Like you, he was asked to supply the means for the execution of an innocent victim. Tragically, despite his sincere and profound repugnance, he finally handed Christ over, in order to quell a riot and so preserve his own political life.
By formally washing his hands, Pilate showed he was at least partially aware that his capitulation was inexcusable.
In addressing a different but related issue, the late Pope Paul VI wrote: “In truth, if it is sometimes licit to tolerate a lesser evil in order to avoid a greater evil or to promote a greater good, it is not licit, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil so that good may follow therefrom, that is, to make into the object of a positive act of the will something that is intrinsically disordered.” (Humanae Vitae #14 “Illicit Ways of Regulating Birth”)
As much as he regretted doing so, Pilate did not merely tolerate Christ’s torturous death, but made that intrinsically evil deed the very object of a positive act of his will, which he officially pronounced from the Judgment seat (John 19:13). The one who wills the means, wills the end.
It is impossible to avoid responsibility for doing an evil by citing the probability (or even the certainty) that someone else will carry out the evil if we don’t.
Your own situation is not nearly as difficult as Pilate’s. After all, the budget awaiting your signature does not demand state funding of abortions; strictly speaking it doesn’t even permit them. It merely allocates general funds for the AK Medicaid Program, but there is no line item for abortions whatsoever. You can now either send the budget back to the Legislature and let them explicitly prohibit abortion funding, or you can use your executive authority to flatly refuse to spend even a single dollar to underwrite the murder of Alaska’s prenatal children.
The major difficulty in your circumstances is that the Alaska Supreme Court is entrenched in the absurd opinion that our State Constitution not only permits abortion but also demands it be funded by our state Medicaid program. Furthermore, the courts believe the judicial branch has both authority and power to override both the legislative and executive branches of government. Pro-abortion politicians have built a house-of-cards defense for their outrageous policies on those outrageous opinions. Increasingly, even “pro-life” politicians hide their consciences from the light of reason in that flimsy house, using it as an excuse to neglect their duty toward unborn Alaskans, and even to aid and abet those who seek to end their lives.
Of course, our inalienable right to life originates not in any court but in “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” which the Declaration of Independence recognizes as the basis of all authentic government. Furthermore, the very first line of Alaska’s constitution concurs with the Declaration regarding the right to life of every Alaskan. There is no reason, therefore, to wait for a constitutional convention, which is merely another deliberately specious or dreadfully mistaken excuse to do little or nothing for the three to four babies who are killed by abortion on a daily basis in Alaska.
– Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.“[T]here are two types of laws: there are just laws, and there are unjust laws,” King stated. “I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘An unjust law is no law at all.'”
We’ve heard the many excuses for inaction: “The courts will order funding anyway; the Dems will insist on funding anyway; we don’t have the numbers …” Using those excuses is like pleading innocent to serving on a firing squad for the execution of innocent persons simply because the court decided it’s ok, a lot of trouble will ensue for those who refuse, and any conscientious objector who steps out of line will certainly be replaced by another. Key word, another; the objector’s conscience remains clear. Furthermore, personal witness is all the more powerful in dire situations. Other members of the squad might well find the courage to follow a peer’s example of refusal to make evil a means to one’s own good. As their witness percolates throughout the body politic, that body will cease to tolerate the executions of innocents.
History confirms that faithfulness leads to the ultimate success of good ends, while infidelity actually increases the evil one is attempting to avoid.
In any case, it is impossible to avoid responsibility for doing an evil by citing the probability (or even the certainty) that someone else will carry out the evil if we don’t. As Mother Teresa noted, “God does not require that we be successful, only that we be faithful.”
How then are we to be faithful to the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God? From the Birmingham jail Martin Luther King Jr. articulated the principles that guided his own defense of human rights for the persecuted people of his day.
The witness of your refusal to fund murder would radiate like a lighthouse beacon to our entire nation.
“[T]here are two types of laws: there are just laws, and there are unjust laws,” King stated. “I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘An unjust law is no law at all.’ Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine when a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law, or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas, an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law.”
Your defense of human rights doesn’t require civil disobedience and incarceration, but it does entail the same moral courage which MLK Jr. exercised in his time. Natural law absolutely necessitates that we never do something which is intrinsically evil. Direct abortion is an intrinsically evil act which no circumstances or good end can ever justify. Therefore, funding direct abortion is also intrinsically evil. The rock-bottom duty of your office is to “First Do No Harm.”
This responsibility remains even if your decision to block abortion funding is challenged.
Your steadfast refusal to use state funds to pay for abortions would constitute a quiet but tremendously strong witness to the Legislature. Like the observation that the emperor had no clothes, it would be a game-changer. Often, it’s more difficult to stand up to our friends than our enemies, but after their initial shock, pro-life legislators will probably be as enthusiastic to support you as the crowd who knew – all along – that the emperor was naked.
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
Furthermore, those who worked for your election would have the best of reasons to continue supporting you. Especially because Alaska has always drawn the attention and admiration of our entire nation. The witness of your refusal to fund murder would radiate like a lighthouse beacon to our entire nation. Whatever happens though, you must refuse to fund abortion just as you would have refused to pay for state-sponsored slave auctions in the antebellum era.
Christ has promised not to leave us orphans. He will abundantly provide to each of us through the Holy Spirit whatever aid is needed to carry out the good. He also gives us strength to avoid evil…provided we do not insincerely ask, “What is truth?” and turn from the Way, the Truth, and the Life to face a maddened world on our own. Persistence in that tragic course would seal the appalling legacy of Pontius Pilate upon yourself and any Alaskan “pro-life” legislators who accompany you.
“Whatsoever you do to the least of My brethren, you do to Me.” (Matthew 25:40)
The views expressed here are those of the author.
26 Comments
Thank you for sharing this letter Ms. Syren. One thing that I would like to bring up is that we do not know if Dunleavy even has a valid Oath of Office. If he keeps allowing things to happen that are not good for Alaskans, I would be leaning towards the idea that he does not hold a valid Oath of Office. Atty Todd Callender and a teacher (I cannot remember her name right now) researched and found that many that hold offices in the White House currently DO NOT hold valid Oaths of Office; this explains their treasonous actions.
‘Attorney Todd Callender reveals Biden officials are IMPOSTORS who swore no oaths to America’
https://www.brighteon.com/e7bffb6c-2064-41c4-ae05-e9d75d1c0098
You do not understand how the government works. Our Governor is only one part of the process. When he has pro-democratic legislators who do not support them on any issue, then the other side wins. That is why 2022 election was so devastating. I ask you and others, what is you plan to ensure only pro-life legislators are elected?
Are you directing this comment to me Judyn? I know that my governor should be holding a valid Oath of Office to really be the legal governor of Alaska. IF he does not hold a valid oath of office, then every thing that he pushes or vetos is not valid. IF he is destroying our individual and state sovereignty right before our eyes, this would more than likely be because he was not legally sworn in. Nothing confusing about this.
> Your defense of human rights doesn’t require civil disobedience and incarceration, but it does entail the same moral courage… Natural law absolutely necessitates that we never do something which is intrinsically evil.
Important and timely essay. Thank-you.
If good men do nothing, evil will prevail… I hope there are a few good men to protect our babies… their freedom…our future…
Thank you, all you good men and women..
May God help us to be brave 🙂
Amen
Neither side is willing to compromise.
The pro-life side says that as soon as conception takes place, the pregnancy must be carried to term, and anything less is cold-blooded murder.
The pro-choice side says that impeding a woman’s decision to terminate a pregnancy, at ANY point, is chipping away at her right to self-determination.
And then there is the vast American MIDDLE that has mixed feelings: People who say they would never personally choose to have an abortion, yet wouldn’t want to make that decision for someone else; people who think abortions should not take place after a certain trimester of pregnancy; people who think that abortions should be allowed in the case of rape or incest.
Can anyone think of a compromise here? One that would put this issue mercifully to rest, forever?
I sure wish there was a compromise. You laid out the two or three sides well. My suggestion, my compromise, I guess is defining the end date that abortion is acceptable at the age of viability which is/was 24 weeks.
Viability is days one
No, Chuch. We are beyond compromise. I have found when conservative compromise they often lose.
No, Chuck. We are beyond compromise. I have found when conservative compromise they often lose.
An important and timely article. Thank-you Therese.
fwiw- Joel, I posted the same comment yesterday and it did not appear.
Calls this morning to the Governor’s office (907) 465-3500 “cannot be completed at this time.” Please keep trying, and contact the Lt. Governor’s office to ask why the Governor won’t accept our calls demanding he immediately stop funding the murder of unborn Alaskans, beginning with those killed today. Lt. Gov Nancy Dahlstrom (907) 465-3520
Literally hundreds of millions of people down through history have given their lives, burned at the stake, sawed in half, hacked to pieces a limb at a time and other atrocities too heinous to even contemplate. Why? Because they believed that Truth, God’s Word was more important than their lives. We will all be judged accordingly. How do you stand Mr. Dunleavy? Are you willing to risk your very salvation to stand for a lie from Satan or will you stand with millions before you and be willing to give ALL for truth. Consider your answer carefully, Mr Dunleavy. None of us know how many days we have upon this earth. Tomorrow may be too late!
“Literally hundreds of millions of people down through history have given their lives, burned at the stake, sawed in half, hacked to pieces a limb at a time and other atrocities too heinous to even contemplate. ” Actually the reason is religion. It makes sanctimonious zealots out of normal people and the remaining normal people do not suffer those fools. The religious reap what they sow. When your lawn mower doesn’t start, do you check for fuel and spark or pray?
I for one am not hopeful in regards to the spineless wonder and “needing to stand ready to come to his rescue”! He knows nothing but being a punk!
God will in fact deal with him, and I won’t get in the way of that!
Dave, if you could, how WOULD you “get in the way of that”?
Lucifer my response is get thee behind me satan
I read the above views and wonder how many of you are really involved in the election process, ever worked on a campaign, donated to a candidate? I ask because 2022 election in AK was awful. If the truly pro-life and conservative had gone to vote in force he would not have had a senate majority led by democrats and even though a house Majority of Republicans, several would be on Lisa’s team. Then I see many of you quoting the Bible or making comments about whether our Governor is a pro-life Governor or not, it makes me not want to even be associated with the comments. I happen to know this Governor personally. I know his heart. I know his anguish over not having the votes to make all this happen. Yes, we will all answer to God. Some of us might have misunderstood his meanings.
judy, since you apparently know Dunleavy so well, could YOU please ask him for a copy of his legitimate Oath of Office so that you could share it with all of us? I am sure that if Dunleavy has a valid Oath of Office, he would be proud of it and happy to share it with the public.
Judy big line of bull crap
I am a conservative woman I’m am a Christian and I’m very much pro-choice. Nobody would force you to donate an organ to save a child. But you want to force women to donate their body their health. The reason in the last election was such a failure the conservatives should have have Landslide victories, but you drove a bunch of your women voters away. Just stay away from the abortion topic so we can put the country back together again. You’re risking our entire country over one issue abortion. 1 issue we have so many problems we need to take care of, but you are running off conservative female voters, over 1 issue. Just FYI the Bible commands an abortion when there is a question of infidelity. But obviously you would rather run off your conservative voters then stop the pedophile hanging out in the women’s bathroom and grooming children in school. You see if you keep running on this abortion issue there won’t be a Republican party in office. Lay it to rest for long enough to get the country back together, because I promise you if God wants that child born he will change the woman’s heart and that baby will be born. Quit risking our country over it.
Ms Syren’s letter is magnificent plea that asks the governor to strike down Medicaid, because the abortion funds are hidden in there. Who pays the price? Why, the poor who cannot afford to pay for medical care. Don’t misinterpret this to say that I am pro-abortion. Far from it. My mother would have aborted me if she could have, but I was born in a time before abortion became so common. So I was adopted by loving parents and never knew my real mother. If the governor red line vetoes Medicaid, then are we not trading some lives to save others? And then there is another problem, Republican Conservatives not providing the needed support.
When the governor announced his desire for a family-friendly Alaska, the outcry from the Left was deafening. But you could hear a pin drop from the lack of reaction from conservatives and other families. Likewise, the introduction of HB105 produced a tremendous wave of indignation from the left gay and trans community. Where were the parents and conservatives? Nowhere to be found. HB105 could have been a bridgehead to taking back our schools. A strong up-welling of support would have signaled the legislators that parents and conservatives were ready to engage in the battle to save the children. Instead, it was a bridge too far.
The lack of support for even a beginning move to protect the children reminds me of the account of Moses confronting the occupation of the Holy Land by idolators. Moses’ scouts told him that all they had to do was to breach the gate and the land would be theirs. But the Isrealites told Moses: Go you and your God and fight them. When the idolators leave, then we will enter. God became so angry with them that the land was forbidden to them for a generation. Instead they wandered in the wilderness. Are the families and conservatives destined to do the same?
Instead of blaming the governor, let’s put the blame where it really belongs, squarely on ourselves.
Reread your own statement: “My mother would have aborted me if she could have, but I was born in a time before abortion became so common. So I was adopted by loving parents and never knew my real mother.” What did your mother do when she could not afford to keep you? She gave you to a couple who wanted you. THERE IS YOUR ANSWER TO ALL OF THIS. ADOPTION…NOT ABORTION. This idea of getting abortions is really being pushed on the native population and it is disgusting. I know quite a few natives who were adopted out, but many of them were fortunate enough to meet their real mother because that is the way it worked out back in the old days. Which way is it She li a? Adoption or Abortion?
Amen to that, and also every woman has a choice to whether or not to become pregnant, except for rape and such.
So think ahead and do not let the life you helped create “pay” for your mistake.
Please be fair to that precious person, and give him or her a chance to live with a loving family 🙂