04/12/1993 01:00 PM House JUD

  SB 53:  ANNULLING ABORTION FUNDING REGULATIONS                               
                                                                               
  Number 767                                                                   
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN PORTER announced that the committee would take up                   
  SB 53 next.  He commented that SB 53 had received a great                    
  deal of testimony from around the state.  He said that there                 
  were no significant legal questions surrounding the bill.                    
  Consequently, he invited each member to give a statement on                  
  his or her position on the bill, if they so desired, and                     
  then a vote could be taken on whether or not to move the                     
  bill out of committee.                                                       
                                                                               
  Number 783                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE GREEN commented that publicly-funded elective                 
  abortions were inconsistent with the legislature's efforts                   
  to cut the budget.                                                           
                                                                               
  Number 799                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE KOTT agreed with Representative Green's                       
  remarks.  He stated that abortion funding and unwanted                       
  pregnancies were part of a larger and growing problem.                       
                                                                               
  Number 811                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE JAMES indicated that she had never supported                  
  public funding for elective abortions.  She recognized that                  
  abortions required for medical or psychological reasons                      
  should be treated like any other medical procedure, however.                 
  She opposed SB 53, and echoed Representative Green's comment                 
  that supporting publicly-funded elective abortions would be                  
  inconsistent with other budget-cutting actions taken by the                  
  legislature this year.                                                       
                                                                               
  TAPE 93-58, SIDE B                                                           
  Number 000                                                                   
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN PORTER commented that he had had personal                           
  experiences in his background which required him to support                  
  SB 53.  He stated that abortion had been a felony crime in                   
  Alaska when he first worked as a police officer.  He said                    
  that he had investigated illegal abortions, and said that                    
  the state should never go back to the days of "back-room"                    
  abortions.  He believed that not publicly funding abortions                  
  for poor women would make them susceptible to "back-room"                    
  abortions.                                                                   
                                                                               
  Number 028                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE PHILLIPS chose not to comment at this time.                   
                                                                               
  Number 029                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE NORDLUND took issue with Representative                       
  Green's and Representative Kott's comments regarding the                     
  costs of SB 53.  He said that if SB 53 was not enacted, the                  
  state would face tremendous downstream health care, criminal                 
  justice, and social service costs.  He said that SB 53 sets                  
  up two classes of people:  poor women who would not be able                  
  to get abortions and women who could afford to get                           
  abortions.  He believed that was fundamentally wrong.  He                    
  supported the bill.                                                          
                                                                               
  Number 061                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE CLIFF DAVIDSON said that he had no statement                  
  to make.                                                                     
                                                                               
  Number 065                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE NORDLUND made a MOTION to MOVE SB 53 out of                   
  committee.                                                                   
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE JAMES OBJECTED.  A roll call vote was taken                   
  on moving SB 53 out of committee.  Representatives Nordlund,                 
  Davidson, and Porter voted "YEA."  Representatives Green,                    
  Kott, Phillips, and James voted "NAY."  And so, the bill                     
  FAILED TO MOVE out of committee.                                             
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN PORTER announced that the committee would take up                   
  SB 122 next.