Legislature(1993 - 1994)
02/10/1993 01:39 PM Senate JUD
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
February 10, 1993
1:39 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Robin Taylor, Chairman
Senator Rick Halford, Vice Chairman
Senator Dave Donley
Senator Suzanne Little
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator George Jacko
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 53
"An Act annulling changes made by certain regulations
adopted by the Department of Health and Social Services
relating to funding of abortion services under the general
relief medical program; and providing for an effective
date."
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
SB 53 - See HESS minutes dated 1/27/93.
WITNESS REGISTER
Bonnie Jack
Coalition of Alaskans for Choice
1063 W 20th Ave.
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 53.
Ruth Ewig
2325 30th Ave.
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Teresa Crevier
1123 Black Bear
Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Alice Young
P.O. Box 6161
Sitka, Alaska 99835
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Douglas Merwin
HC2, Box 701
Soldotna, Alaska 99669
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Amelia Endorf
P.O. Box 34485
Juneau, Alaska 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Eileen Self, President
Coalition of Alaskans For Choice
5808 Miley Road
Anchorage, Alaska 99504
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 53.
Meg Gaydosik
1024 Fifth Avenue
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 53.
Charles Gass
719 Grant Street
Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Mary Soltis
3208 Halibut Point
Sitka, Alaska 99835
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Patricia Merwin
HC2 Box 701
Soldotna, Alaska 99669
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Helen Alten, President
American Association of University Women, Alaska Division
P.O. Box 22512
Juneau, Alaska 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 53.
Sue Miller
P.O. Box 211248
Juneau, Alaska 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Sid Heidersdorf
P.O. Box 020658
Juneau, Alaska 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Pat Denny
526 Seward
Juneau, Alaska 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Sue Hecke
315 E St.
Douglas, Alaska 99824
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Elmer Lindstrom, Special Assistant
Department of Health and Social Services
P.O. Box 110601
Juneau, Alaska 99811-0601
POSITION STATEMENT: Submitted position paper and was
available to answer questions.
Cathy Polk
P.O. Box 020196
Juneau, Alaska 99802
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Sherrie Goll
Alaska Women's Lobby
P.O. Box 22156
Juneau, Alaska 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 53.
Myrna Maynard
2237 Forest Park Dr.
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 53.
Kris Grose
Alaska Interior Right to Life
1111 Eliz Street
North Pole, Alaska 99705
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Sharon Harper
P.O. Box 9527
Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Louise Mathews
3208 Halibut Pt. Rd., #15
Sitka, Alaska 99835
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Monte Smith
43635 Sport Lake Road
Soldotna, Alaska 99669
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Randall Burns, Executive Director
Alaskan Affiliate of the Alaska Civil Liberties Union
P.O. Box 201844
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 53.
Mike Prax
1015 Meadow Rd.
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Kathleen Toole
P.O. Box 5521
Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Virginia Phillips
404 Lake St.
Sitka, Alaska 99835
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Nancy Odom
1070 Flat Rabbit Rd.
Fairbanks, Alaska 99705
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Heather Muench
P.O. Box 6811
Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 53.
Deborah Luper
1217 Crescent Dr.
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 93-8, SIDE A
Number 001
SENATOR TAYLOR called the meeting to order at 1:39 p.m. and
announced SB 53 ANNULLING ABORTION FUNDING REGULATIONS to be
up for consideration, but that he didn't intend on taking
action at this meeting. He said he would begin by taking
testimony from teleconference sites.
BONNIE JACK, Coalition of Alaskans for Choice, said she was
representing herself. She supported SB 53. She urged a
fair and speedy progress.
SENATOR DONLEY said he would be proposing amendments to SB
53 to make this a permanent fix to the problem by putting it
in statute that this would be pursuant to federal law that
folks would be eligible for this assistance under medicaid.
He asked her if she thought it should be dealt with in
regulation or statute.
MS.JACK said abortion should be fair, safe, and legal. If a
rich woman can have an abortion, a poor one should be able
to, also.
Number 160
RUTH EWIG, Fairbanks, opposed SB 53 and read a statement
prepared by the Chairman of the Women's Commission which
opposed SB 53 because human life is precious. It begins at
conception and should be valued, nurtured, and protected.
The mental and physical well-being of women is of great
importance to this Board. Abortion has serious side effects
for women.
MS. EWIG read her own statement which was opposed to SB 53.
She drew a parallel between slavery and abortion. She
thought it was time to take another statewide vote on this
issue. She said 7 - 10 other people were faxing testimony
against this bill.
Number 271
TERESA CREVIER, Ketchikan, opposed SB 53 because it would
deny Alaskan children their life, liberty, and pursuit of
happiness. She said one of state government's primary
functions was to protect life. She requested the Committee
to commission a long term study on the effects of abortion
on the children who are terminated by it and to find out if
the methods used are humane and if this is the most
effective population control procedure that's available.
Number 300
ALICE YOUNG, opposed SB 53. There are other good options to
abortion, she said.
DOUGLAS MERWIN, Kenai, opposed SB 53. He did not want
abortions to be fundable under the Department of Health and
Social Services.
Number 330
AMELIA ENDORF, Juneau, was hear because of the fiscal crisis
facing our state. She said there was a program that gave
women a choice about their pregnancy was financially
decimated. Two out of five counselors remain. Yet it was
no hardship to find money to force women to destroy the
fragile life they held. Many chose abortion, because they
had no other choice. She said within the state abortion was
the only option to be funded. Other options were not funded
by the state. Abortions should be funded from private
donations.
Number 350
EILEEN SELF, President, Coalition of Alaskans For Choice,
supported passage of SB 53.
Number 376
MEG GAYDOSIK, Fairbanks, is a former member of the Alaska
Women's Commission. She did not think the testimony heard
today from the Women's Commission represented most of
Alaskan women. She supported passage of SB 53. Denying
women the right to an abortion because of her economic
status is simply unacceptable. Abortion must be treated
like any other medical procedure. She recommended a film
called "Before Abortions Were Legal." It shows how a woman
at a particular time in her life will go to any extremes to
end an unwanted pregnancy - to the point of laying down her
life. On the other hand, at a point later in her life, if
she decides she wants to bear a child, she will also
willingly lay down her life to bring that child into the
world.
Number 422
CHARLES GASS, Ketchikan, opposed SB 53. He had statistics
that he thought showed in the years prior to Roe v. Wade
either illegal abortions were extremely safe or that there
just weren't that many performed. By funding abortion for
the poor, you are increasing the number of abortions and
perpetuating a lifestyle of irresponsible sexual behavior
and government dependency. He said they should promote
policies aimed at education for preventing unwanted
pregnancies.
Number 448
MARY SOLTIS, Sitka, said the law justifies abortion by
saying that life inside the womb is not yet human. In doing
this, they set a quality standard for justifying whether a
life needs to be protected. She said the weakest members of
our society are being killed by the strongest majority.
Abortion is the ultimate despair. It is a depraved act of
hopelessness. She said if a vote to pass SB 53 is their
vote to pay for the killing of these innocent children, she
wants them to kill the bill.
Number 489
PATRICIA MERWIN, Soldotna, felt strongly that the state of
Alaska should not fund abortions. She felt that at the
moment of conception a child has its own DNA structure and
is just as viable as she is. The child's right to live
supersedes constitutionally the mother's right to privacy.
Number 530
HELEN ALTEN, President, American Association of University
Women Alaska Division, said she represented about 300
university educated women in Alaska. She read testimony
written by Marcia McKenzie, representing Juneau Coalition
For Pro-Choice which has over 400 supporters in the Juneau
area, supporting SB 53. Women are entitled to freedom of
choice in their reproductive life. This choice should not
be limited because a woman has little or no income. The
statement she read from her organization concurred with Ms.
McKenzie's statement.
Number 578
SUE MILLER, Juneau, said she is pro-life. She believes
funding for abortions should be restricted. Her niece had
an abortion when she was 16 which her family didn't know
about. She didn't have a choice because a person gave her
direction to this ready access that government supplied.
TAPE 93-8, SIDE B
Number 584
When she turned 22 she realized that a baby's heart beat
could be detected at 3 weeks.
MS. MILLER recounted the experience she had in Valdez where
three girls in her high school class were pregnant and the
whole community of 550 people rallied around the girls and
became their extended family.
She thought the subject of abortion or life belonged in the
private sector.
Number 536
SID HEIDERSDORF told the Committee about a video on abortion
that he wanted to show. It had no sound so that those who
did not want to, would not be forced to see or hear it. He
said using euphemisms, like termination of pregnancy,
promoted denial.
SENATOR TAYLOR said he didn't want to stop the flow of
testimony, but when they were done he would allow the video
to be shown.
Mr. Heidersdorf is unalterably opposed to abortion. He is
for the rights of women, but he recognizes that rights are
not absolutes. The infant's right to life takes precedent
over any life based on convenience or any other
justification.
Number 467
PAT DENNY, Juneau, opposed SB 53. She is a social worker
who has worked with all kinds of women. She would go into
homes where people said it was their right to do whatever
they wanted to their children. She said in our society we
protect our children.
Number 438
SUE HECKE, Juneau, is opposed to SB 53. She just spent a
year in Romania in orphanages. She said the value of life
was such that women would have babies and abandon them
rather than have an abortion.
She thought that most of the testimony on this issue was
coming from white middle class females and some males. She
hadn't heard the poor come forth. In another meeting there
was testimony from a woman with 8 children who came from a
mother of 12 children. She was very glad they didn't
believe in abortion.
She thought that poor people should be more involved in this
legislation, because it concerned them.
Number 401
ELMER LINDSTROM, Special Assistant, Department of Health and
Social Services, provided the Committee with a position
paper and a fiscal note. He said he would be available to
answer questions.
Number 379
CATHY POLK, Juneau, opposed SB 53. Through research she
found that 5,000 babies were killed daily. A lot of them in
the second trimester. She is a Christian and is against the
taking of life. Children are not protected until they are
out of the womb. Rather than pass this bill she thought
they should look for another way to help pregnant women.
Number 357
SHERRIE GOLL, Alaska Women's Lobby, supported SB 53 and the
language from SB 55 that would amend SB 53 to preclude the
regulations from being reintroduced immediately after being
annulled. She said the state would be hearing from poor
women who have a lawsuit against the state.
MS. GOLL said there are privacy issues involved in the
regulations, because they do allow some women to have
abortions if they are the victims of rape or incest.
SENATOR TAYLOR asked if the suit she referred to was the one
entitled Planned Parenthood of Alaska, Inc. v. et all v.
Theodore A. Mala. She said that was the one she referred
to.
Number 301
MYRNA MAYNARD, Anchorage, testified in favor of SB 53. She
thought the regulations were issued by the Governor in order
to appease the extreme right wing constituency that elected
him. The poor women of the state should be afforded the
right to have an abortion, too. Governor Hickel should
support education of contraception.
Number 249
KRIS GROSE, Alaska Interior Right to Life, Fairbanks,
opposed SB 53. She thought some of the Governor's
regulations were ambiguous and the definition of terms
needed to be ironed out. For instance the definition for
"termination deemed medically necessary" and "endanger the
mother's life" needed to be specified. We have to legislate
morality to keep our society from tearing itself apart.
Number 221
SHARON HARPER, Ketchikan, said she was having trouble with
the word termination which she thought was the same as
murder. She absolutely objected to tax money being spent
for anything like murder. She thought many people viewed
abortion as a form of birth control. She opposed SB 53.
LOUISE MATHEWS, Sitka, opposed SB 53. She said killing the
unborn is a human sacrifice and is used for birth control,
sex selection, and convenience.
Number 186
MONTE SMITH, Soldotna, opposed SB 53. As a Christian he has
strong personal and moral objections to abortion. Who is
going to finance the cost of operating the government if you
allow the wholesale butchering of the next generation.
Number 162
RANDALL BURNS, Executive Director, Alaskan Affiliate of the
Alaska Civil Liberties Union, opposed the regulation changes
from the Hickel administration that would deny any Alaskan
woman on public assistance the right to terminate her
pregnancy, because it is unconstitutional. They, therefore,
support passage of SB 53. State policy should support
women, not subjugate them.
SENATOR TAYLOR noted that he had a copy of the complaint Mr.
Burns had filed.
MIKE PRAX, Fairbanks, said funding abortions was like
condoning them and he didn't think that was right. As a
society, we have to take responsibility for our actions.
Number 75
KATHLEEN TOOLE, Ketchikan, opposed SB 53. Unborn children
need their chance at life. She does not want her tax
dollars to be used in this way.
Number 59
VIRGINIA PHILLIPS, Sitka, had an abortion because of a
childhood fever. She suffered physically and emotionally
from it. Her daughter when she was 16 chose to complete her
pregnancy and now she is a very successful and happy person.
She said the abortion procedure is a rape of a woman's body.
TAPE 93-9, SIDE A
Number 001
MS. PHILLIPS said she is highly opposed to SB 53 and is
opposed to the amendment.
Number 35
NANCY ODOM, Fairbanks, opposed SB 53. We are human beings
from the very beginning. She said according to Planned
Parenthood 98% of the abortions performed are for
convenience. The state has exceeded its legitimate function
when it pays for the services of the assassination of one
person for the convenience of another.
Number 47
HEATHER MUENCH, Ketchikan, believed that every woman at some
time in her life has an unwanted, unplanned pregnancy.
Women have the right to make a choice. She urged passage of
SB 53.
SENATOR TAYLOR asked SID HEIDERSDORF to show his video at
this time. MR. HEIDERSDORF explained that it was entitled
"Hard Truth" and was 7 minutes long. He wanted everyone to
ask themselves if this is something the state should pay
for.
Number 239
DEBORAH LUPER said after seeing the film, she couldn't
believe the procedure was still legal. Abortion is wrong.
It kills a life, a life that our U.S. Constitution is
supposed to protect.
SENATOR TAYLOR thanked everyone for their testimony and
adjourned the meeting at 3:32 p.m.
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