Abortion bill foes fear risks to poor
Source: Anchorage Daily News
Abortion bill foes fear risks to poor
Published: March 4, 2013
By LISA DEMER — ldemer@adn.com
JUNEAU -- A legislator's effort to restrict state-paid abortions in Alaska came under fire Monday during a hearing dominated by testimony from Planned Parenthood and other advocates worried that poor women may resort to dangerous back-room abortions if the state cuts off funding.
Very few pregnant women would qualify under Sen. John Coghill's strict definition of a medically necessary abortion eligible for Medicaid payments, according to Laura Einstein, chief legal counsel for Planned Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest. The health organization is the primary abortion provider in Alaska.
Maybe women would try to scrounge up the money themselves. Maybe they would get an abortion later in the pregnancy, when it's riskier and, by the second trimester, not available in Alaska. Or maybe, some Alaskans told Coghill's Judiciary Committee, the days of back-alley abortions would return.
Coghill, a Fairbanks Republican, says he's not trying to deny poor woman abortions, but wants to ensure the state only pays for those that are medically necessary, not elective.
Read more: http://www.adn.com/2013/03/04/2812121/abortion-bill-foes-fear-risks.html#storylink=cpy
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