Alaska’s indigenous women and their unborn babies are increasingly vulnerable to abortion, according to the latest comprehensive data from the state.
For decades, the abortion industry and its allies have worked to make the killing of pre-born babies more palatable among Alaska Native communities. Well-funded leftist groups like Planned Parenthood, Native Movement and others now employ activist tactics and community organizing to increase abortion accessibility and change cultural perceptions, especially among the youth.
Last year, a total of 1,224 unborn babies were killed in Alaska through abortion, up slightly from 1,222 the year before. While the annual total has remained relatively steady at about 1,233 per year over the past six years, a significant increase was recorded among Alaska Native and American Indian women – surging from 247 abortions in 2020 to 356 in 2024.
In 2020, abortions on Native women accounted for 20% the statewide total. Last year, that number rose to 29%, despite the fact that indigenous women only represent about 16% of the female population in Alaska.
During that same five-year stretch, abortions have decreased among white women – going from 596 in 2020 to 511 in 2024. All other racial groups have remained fairly steady.
With regard to ethnicity, however, the percentage of abortions performed on Hispanic women has more than tripled in just one year, going from 39 (3%) in 2023 to 123 (10%) last year.
PUBLICLY FUNDED ABORTIONS
The State of Alaska footed the bill for 43% of all abortions last year through the publicly-funded Medicaid program, known as DenaliCare. That means 528 unborn babies were destroyed with public dollars.
These state-financed abortions were driven mostly by unmarried women and indigenous populations. Alaska Native and American Indian women comprised 42% of all state-funded abortions – far higher than any other racial group.
TEEN ABORTIONS INCREASE
Abortions are also becoming more prevalent among teens – 15-19 years old. In 2020, this group accounted for 128 abortions – about 11% of the statewide total. In 2024, that number rose to 160 abortions, or 14% of all abortions. Six abortions were performed on girls younger than 15 years in 2024.
Most abortions, however, continue to be performed on women in their 20s, who underwent 678 abortions in 2024, amounting to 55% of the statewide total.
CHEMICAL ABORTION TAKING OVER
In a state with only two functioning Planned Parenthood abortion clinics remaining, chemical abortion pills – Mifepristone – are continuing to become more prominent. Pro-abortions groups see them as a way for women to terminate their pre-born babies while avoiding plane trips and hotel stays in Anchorage or Fairbanks. They also don’t need to darken the doors of an abortion center.
Thanks to telemedicine laws, women in remote areas of Alaska can now simply order these pills through the mail and take them at home without ever seeing a doctor in person.
Last year, nearly 6 in 10 abortions (59%) were done using the dangerous drug, Mifepristone, up from the previous all-time high of 56% in 2023.
This drug works by blocking the hormone progesterone. This causes the nourishing lining of the mother’s uterus to break down, making it easier for her pre-born baby to be expelled. Mifepristone is typically followed by a second drug, misoprostol, which causes contractions that expel the dead baby.
According to Americans United For Life (AUL), which tracks the dangers of Mifepristone, there are numerous complications associate with the drug, such as incomplete abortion wherein the pill does not fully terminate the pregnancy, leading to the need for additional medical intervention.
Mifepristone can also lead to infections and heavy bleeding that can be life-threatening, especially for women who live off the road system, and do not have easy access to medical treatment.
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
Despite the known dangers, AUL notes that in-person medical visits for a pregnant woman are not necessary for her to terminate her child using chemical abortion pills, which is one of the reasons why 1 in 25 women who take the abortion pill end up in the emergency room with complications.
The rise of chemical abortions coincides with more babies being killed at younger ages. In 2024, 468 pre-born Alaska babies were destroyed at six weeks gestation or younger. That represented 38% of all Alaska abortions, a new high.
The older surgical abortion method of Dilation and Curettage continued to decline in Alaska with just 245 (20%) women undergoing this procedure. This method is generally used in the first trimester and requires dilation of the cervix so that the unborn child can be scraped from the womb by an abortionist and then removed by suction. In 2024, 245 Alaska abortions were done this way, amounting to one in every five. Over the past five years this method has become less prevalent as the rise of chemical abortion continues to change the industry.
Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) is another surgical procedure that is generally used after the first trimester. This was used in 19% (231) of all Alaska abortions last year. It requires the temporary widening of the cervix as the pre-born baby and placenta are removed with a combination of surgical instruments, suction, or forceps by an abortionist.
PLUMMETING FERTILITY
Included in the 2024 abortion report is the fact that between 2018 and 2024, Alaska’s fertility rate has fallen from 69.5 to 61.9 births per 1,000 women. Fertility rates are based only on the number of live births. Abortion, miscarriage, fetal death and simply not becoming pregnant, all have an impact on the state’s plunging fertility rate, which is no longer at replacement levels.
Annual abortion reports are mandated by Alaska law, requiring hospitals, clinics and individual abortionists to submit information. The final report cannot contain the name of the patient, abortionist, facility or geographical area where the abortion occurred, and all forms are destroyed after the annual report is finalized.
To read this year’s report, click here.
11 Comments
How sad.
With the increase of telemedicine and access to abortion-inducing drugs, will there be any data available on the number of women who hemorrhage to death alone at home or in hotel rooms after I ingesting these pills?
I thought you were going to say “will there be any data available on the number of women who hemorrhage to death alone at home or in hotel rooms after asking a friend to insert a coat hanger or ask the pregnant woman to stand on her head or to do jumping jacks?” Those are dead historical mechanisms that the Christian Nationalists have forced women to try. But along comes an Rx that proven safe and effective for 97% of women, and it’s lights and siren. Maybe it’s too effective and needs to be hidden.
Women who qualify for medication abortions are always informed about the possibility of side effects, which are usually minor. They are also informed that more serious side effect are possible, which is why they are urged to make sure they have access to medical assistance if necessary. It sounds like you have a poor opinion of women’s agency and right to self-determination.
A nation that doesn’t speak up against the murder of innocent babies will have to give an account for ignoring God’s commandments. THOU SHALT NOT KILL.
Well the federal government is their god so that’s where they place all their hope and faith.
DenaliCare has no authorization to abort babies except in cases where the life of the mother is at risk. I know this concept is illegally expanded to include a number of reasons, including psychological ones. Everyone knows what it means: Will the mother physically die if she has the baby inside of her? Yes, you may abort if all other methods of saving the baby fail. I doubt that 528 mothers fell under that catagory. We need to care for our children or we will be extinct; and, yes, people like Planned Parenthood want that to happen. Native women, especially, need to protect their offspring from Planned Parenthood-type fools who want to extinguish their culture. Moms, you must think about the greater good. The shame of being a single mother is gone and adoption is always on the table. My heart goes out to all the mothers who lost their children to abortion.
ANOTHER DUNLEAVY PROMISE NOT KEPT! ANTI ABORTION RETERIC, USED TO GET ELECTED!
So where’s the outrage from the Native community? Isn’t this just another form of genocide? Where’s the cries of racism and colonialism? I guess that only happens when we’re talking about money, not children.
So where’s the outrage from the Native community? Isn’t this just another form of cultural genocide? Where’s the cries of racism and colonialism? I guess that only happens when we’re talking about money, not children?
Whatever you do, thank Murkowski for this. Every Native woman in the North has supported the evil, ugly Murkowski for these very purposes. And, Murkowski has supported every bill, nationally and internationally that funds money for these procedures and prescriptions in the name of Murkowski’s definition of “women’s health” so, thank her for the death of fetuses which would number in the millions after over 20 years. She is a mental case that can’t stand to see a new born that came to life full term. What is it about her, that is an advocate of women killing the fetus in their wombs. Has anyone thought that she should be asked if she has had an abortion and the reasons why?
Please write an article discussing the number of embryos that die in the IVF process. Part of the IVF process includes screening embryos for way defects so only the best are implanted. Though some are adopted out, many are donated to science or are left to die. There isn’t enough awareness about what happens with leftover and particularly, eggs that are not perfect.