By JIM MINNERY
With little fanfare, the Alaska State House of Representatives recently provided an interesting glimpse into where the pro-life movement stands in the Great Land and beyond.
During discussion on how funding from the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act should be allocated in Alaska, an amendment was introduced by Representatives DeLena Johnson, George Rauscher and David Eastman that said no money received under these Covid relief funding streams may be expended for an abortion.
Under the Biden/Harris Administration, Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the nation, is running on all cylinders to ensure their biggest moneymaker, abortion services, continues to grow with financial support from you and me.
They are systematically undoing every pro-life advancement President Donald Trump achieved and, in addition, ramping up efforts to remove the Hyde Amendment provision that prevents federal taxpayer dollars from funding the destruction of innocent, unborn lives.
Rest assured, Planned Parenthood is utilizing every tentacle they have to reach for more taxpayer money, despite having nearly $2 billion in assets and 16,000 employees. Tony Perkins with Family Research Council, noted “
Fortunately, the amendment down in Juneau passed with every House Republican voting to keep abortion out of the Covid funding coming to Alaska.
Every one except Rep. Louise Stutes from Kodiak,who jumped ship to organize with the Democrats and in turn was given the Speaker of the House position. Rep. Ben Carpenter from Kenai was excused.
Every Democrat opposed the amendment, except for House Majority Leader Rep. Chris Tuck of Anchorage, one of the lone voices in Alaska to stand up against the Democrat machine’s ruthless pursuit of abortion all the time paid for by every taxpayer.
Utqiagvik Rep. Josiah Patkotak, an independent freshman from Barrow voted in support of the amendment, which is incredibly encouraging. The Alaska Native community has huge numbers of pro-life advocates who, despite often aligning with the Democrat party, are a formidable force for advancing policies protecting unborn children. In Louisiana, it is unusual for a Democrat to support abortion. They are a unique state, to be sure,but I see no reason why Alaska can’t join them in turning Democrats back from their incessant love affair with Planned Parenthood.
Although the Covid amendment likely will pass the more conservative Senate, it will also likely be challenged and brought before an Alaska court, a system that has a horrible record of overturning the will of the people and of the legislature on matters related to abortion by imposing their twisted logic that our State Constitution provides for the “right to abortion” under our privacy clause. If it gets to the Court, we will likely lose again.
Recently, 25 Republican U.S. Senators, wrote a letter to the Small Business Administration calling for an investigation into how 38 Planned Parenthood affiliate offices received $83 million in federal Covid-related stimulus funding, despite being ineligible for the program. Neither Senator Murkowski or Senator Sullivan signed the letter.
The Democrats’ priority isn’t getting money into the hands of people who treat life; they want to funnel billions to the abortionists who take it.
Legislation has once again been introduced by Sen. Shelley Hughes of Palmer to amend our Constitution, as Louisiana did this past November, to remove black-robed lawyers on the bench from having any say about the abortion matter or its funding.
The logic and doublespeak judges apply to our founding document as cover to usurp their role and force abortion on all Alaskans is a complete farce and the only way we can stop it is to amend the Constitution.
The bill, SJR 4, needs to get 2/3 of both chambers, a signature by the Governor, and finally to a vote of the people on a General Election. We have an outside shot of getting that in the Senate but no possibility, at least at this time, in the House.
Sadly, some fringe elements of the pro-life community, including Pat Martin with Alaska Right To Life, have attacked Sen. Hughes for the Constitutional Amendment she introduced. But this is nothing new. In Martin’s purest, condescending, and very unproductive mindset, only a complete ban on all abortions now, known as the Life At Conception Act, is worthy of any effort. All others are to be maligned.
For years, Alaska Family Council has sought to distinguish our ministry from Alaska Right To Life, which has become an organization that has taken a very aggressive and disturbing turn to alienate nearly every pro-life ally in our state. In my view, the louder and more antagonistic they become, the more marginal their influence will be.
In the end, as Alaska Family Council has stated before, the true “silver bullet” to advance a pro-life agenda in our state is to amend our Constitution and, at least in the foreseeable future, that opportunity presents itself next year when Alaskans are asked every 10 years if their should be a Constitutional Convention. There is no doubt we are at a place where that answer should be a resounding “yes.”
Tellingly, the Alaska Democrat Party opposes a Constitutional Convention in their party platform specifically mentioning that it might change the judicial selection process, “define the beginning of life, authorize public funding for private schools” and other possibilities they view as ominous. They want to keep the people far away from the “people’s document” and preserve their tight, unfounded grip on who gets to take their first breath of fresh, God-given Alaska air.
We have our work cut out. Let’s lean in.
Jim Minnery is President of Alaska Family Council.
