Legislature(1993 - 1994)
02/24/1993 01:46 PM Senate JUD
| Audio | Topic |
|---|
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
February 24, 1993
1:46 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Robin Taylor, Chairman
Senator Rick Halford, Vice-Chairman
Senator George Jacko
Senator Dave Donley
Senator Suzanne Little
MEMBERS ABSENT
NONE
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 SENATE COMMITTEE ACTION
SB 53 - See HESS minutes dated 1/27/93. See Judiciary
minutes dated 2/10/93.
WITNESS REGISTER
Daniel Davis
Box 1285
Delta Junction, Alaska 99737
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Georgia Patrick
1871 Kiana
Fairbanks, Alaska 99709
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Jim Campbell
HC 3, Box 4866
Soldotna, Alaska 99669
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Alice Young
Box 6161
Sitka, Alaska 99835
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Mildred Rhodes
130 Bryant Street #115
Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Jan Catton
6340 H Street #A
Elmendorf AFB
Anchorage, Alaska 99506
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Bill Burk
P.O. Box 240742
Douglas, Alaska 99824
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 53.
Lynn Zellweger
P.O. Box 211622
Auke Bay, Alaska 99821
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 53.
Roberta Hale
905 Richardson Vista
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Marsha George
1926 Cub Court
Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Stephanie Vieira
611 Biorka Street
Sitka, Alaska 99835
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Joyce Moldenhauer
P.O. Box 595
Sterling, Alaska 99672
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
John Noland
128 Carlyle
Fairbanks, Alaska 99708
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Luke & Debra Joslin
Box 377
Delta Junction, Alaska 99737
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Michael Rawalt
Box 823
Delta Junction, Alaska 99737
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Carl Horst
2989 Barrow Street
North Pole, Alaska 99705
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Delphia Lawson
P.O. Box 378
Soldotna, Alaska 99669
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Sheron Schauwecker
1310 Edgecumbe Drive
Sitka, Alaska 99835
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Teresa Crevier
1123 Black Bear Road
Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Paul Houston
517 W. Northern Lights
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Melinda Gruening
Room 114
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Clyde Buetler
Wasilla, Alaska 99687
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Ruby Becker
3324 Dickson Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99504
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Kathryn Gronlund
Box 555
Ward Cove, Alaska 99928
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Lorraine Thompson
601 Sawmill Creek Road
Sitka, Alaska 99835
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Kathleen Hoffman
HC 1, Box 131E
Soldotna, Alaska 99669
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Beverly Berdahl
P.O. Box 8303
Nikiski, Alaska 99635
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Debra Davis
Box 1285
Delta Junction, Alaska 99737
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Dean Bialik
Box 1020
Delta Junction, Alaska 99737
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Deborah Morris
304 Sterling Court
Kenai, Alaska 99611
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Charles Horan
Lincoln Street
Sitka, Alaska 99835
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Frances Young
537 Tower Road
Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Douglas Becker
3324 Dickson Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99504
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Jeannie Green
Juneau, Alaska 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Susan Fichetti
10336 Stewart Street
Eagle River, Alaska 99577
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Janice Dareff
963A Forest Park
Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 53.
Tom Shelton
1C Lifesaver Drive
Sitka, Alaska 99835
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 53.
Kenny Leaf, aide
Senator Robin Taylor
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Reviewed POM'S.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 93-18, SIDE A
Number 001
Chairman Robin Taylor called the Judiciary Committee meeting
to order at 1:46 p.m.
SENATOR TAYLOR introduced SB 53 (ANNULLING ABORTION FUNDING
REGULATIONS) sponsored by the Senate Health, Education and
Social Services Committee. He explained the testimony would
be heard on teleconference sites in Anchorage, Delta
Junction, Fairbanks, Homer, Ketchikan, MatSu, Sitka, and
Kenai/Soldotna.
DANIEL DAVIS in Delta Junction opposed SB 53, and he read a
letter he had written to the Fairbanks News Miner recently
explaining his opposition.
GEORGIA PATRICK from Fairbanks opposed SB 53, and she gave
her reasons for considering abortion disastrous.
Number 100
JIM CAMPBELL from Soldotna opposed SB 53, and he considered
abortion murder.
ALICE YOUNG from Sitka opposed SB 53, and she thanked
everyone who watched the video, THE HARD TRUTH, at the last
hearing. She thought abortion hurt women, families, and the
extended families.
MILDRED RHODES from Ketchikan opposed SB 53, and she drew on
her life experience of being the oldest of 14 children for
her testimony.
Number 210
JAN CATTON of Anchorage opposed SB 53 for both she and her
husband, and she described abortion as a last resort
procedure used only in the cases of incest, rape, and if the
mother's health is in danger. She deplored the use of
abortions for contraceptive purposes and suggested education
instead. MRS. CATTON questioned why the teleconference was
not advertized in the newspapers and on television news.
SENATOR TAYLOR explained he had done as much as possible to
advertise to the extent available, but he reminded MRS.
CATTON of the number of bills that came before committees,
and how expensive it would be to advertize every bill. He
suggested everyone check with their local Legislative
Information Office for bill information.
SENATOR TAYLOR returned to Juneau to call on BILL BURK.
MR. BURK strongly urged the Senate to pass SB 53. He
explained our country was founded on the separation of
church and state, and he blamed the pro-life people as being
from strong religious backgrounds. MR. BURK claimed they
were trying to impose their moral values on everyone else.
He gave some early history on illegal abortions and what he
had seen as a social worker.
Number 303
LYNN ZELLWEGER from Juneau supported SB 53, and she believes
women have the right to do as they wish with their bodies.
ROBERTA HALE opposed SB 53, because she thinks abortion is
murder, and she suggested taxing those who perform
abortions. She also objected to not receiving timely notice
of meetings.
SENATOR JACKO said they were published at the Legislative
Information Offices, but MS. HALE continued to object to not
seeing notices in the newspapers. She said most of the
people in the state opposed the bill.
MARSHA GEORGE from Ketchikan opposed SB 53. She told of her
problems with three abortions and a miscarriage, the first
abortion when she was 17, and she described the painful
aftermath. MRS. GEORGE outlined what she thought the
religious people should do to combat abortion.
Number 369
STEPHANIE VIEIRA from Sitka thanked the Judiciary Committee
for viewing the video, HARD TRUTH, at the last meeting. She
is opposed to SB 53 and any legislation that facilitates
abortion.
JOYCE & MARK MOLDENHAUER from Sterling opposed SB 53, and
she outlined her reasons for opposition to abortions. She
urged everyone to stand against abortion.
JOHN NOLAND from Fairbanks opposed SB 53 and urged the state
to protect all life.
LUKE & DEBRA JOSLIN from Delta Junction both opposed SB 53
and do not want state money used to fund abortions.
Number 423
MICHAEL RAWALT from Delta Junction opposed SB 53. He
thought when a woman was pregnant it should not be her
choice to have an abortion, and the state should not support
or promote the crime of abortion.
CARL HORST of North Pole opposed SB 53. He described the
growth of a baby from 21 days forth to an adult, and he
discussed the genetic code of the child as a viable human
being. He thought people should be held accountable for
their choices and have public funding for adoption instead
of abortion.
DELPHIA LAWSON from Soldotna opposed SB 53 for state funding
of abortions, and she urged attacking the problems. She
felt paying taxes would make her a party to abortion, and
she outlined the damage as she saw it.
SENATOR TAYLOR urged those who had previously testified to
give someone else a chance to testify.
SHERON SCHAUWECKER said she represented 12 SCHAUWECKER'S in
Sitka, who are all opposed SB 53. She didn't believe
abortion was a religious issue, and she compared the
abortion issue to the civil rights conflict over slavery as
twisted logic. She also discussed the discrimination of the
Natives in Alaska, citing a book by ERNEST GRUENING, and the
work of ELIZABETH PERATROVICH. She reviewed the medical
technology she said proved life begins at conception, and
she urged the legislators to deny abortions.
TERESA CREVIER from Ketchikan opposed SB 53 and SENATOR
DONLEY amendment mandating state funded abortions. She sent
personal thanks to SENATOR TAYLOR, SENATOR LEMAN, and other
legislators who were trying to protect the unborn Alaskan
children.
Number 540
PAUL HOUSTON, an attorney from Anchorage, opposed SB 53,
saying he believed in the sanctity of life, and he didn't
think the government should fund abortions at any level. He
suggested offering assistance to parents who want to adopt
the unwanted babies. He also compared the abortion issue to
slavery, and he described the judgement awaiting those who
condoned abortion.
MELINDA GRUENING from Juneau opposed SB 53, and she
explained she had been an activist and lobbied on child
abuse issues for the past 15 years. She viewed abortion as
the ultimate child abuse and a tremendous civil rights
issue. She encouraged the legislature to oppose abortion
legislation.
CLYDE BUETLER from Wasilla, testifying in Juneau, added his
name to those who opposed SB 53.
TAPE 93-17, SIDE B
Number 001
He suggested a vote on the issue of abortion, since he
thought there were more who were opposed than not.
SENATOR TAYLOR returned to the teleconference network to
Anchorage, and said he would address both the amendment and
the bill at about 3:00 p.m.
RUBY BECKER, a Upik Eskimo from Anchorage described the
beauty of Alaska and the people as independent thinkers, and
she said an abortion should not be the right of a woman.
She thought Alaskans should be an example to the chaotic,
immoral lifestyle existing in the rest of the nation. She
ended her testimony by describing the slaughter she saw in
abortions and the use of fetal tissue.
KATHRYN GRONLUND from Ward Cove opposed SB 53 except for
victims of rape, incest, or for the health of the woman.
She said women needed to assume the responsibility over
their bodies and actions and not dump their problems on the
tax payers. She read a letter she had written to the
Anchorage Daily News objecting to paying taxes for abortions
and saying, "... you play, you pay."
LORRAINE THOMPSON from Sitka opposed SB 53 and any
amendments, because she could see no reason why the state
should pay for an elective abortion, and she reviewed the
current abortion regulations.
Number 509
KATHLEEN HOFFMAN from Soldotna opposed SB 53, and she used
her religious principles to describe the efforts to preserve
life with great advances in medicine. She praised the local
ABC crisis pregnancy center, where they offer alternatives
to abortions. She said it was staffed with trained
volunteers, and operated on financial donations by
individuals and organizations. She praised the alternative
of adoption, and she quoted Biblical passages in her
opposition to abortion.
BEVERLY BERDAHL from Nikiski also represented her husband
and four daughters in opposition to SB 53 and objected to
using murder as birth control.
SENATOR TAYLOR noted only observers were left in Fairbanks,
so he switched to DELTA JUNCTION.
DEBRA DAVIS of Delta Junction opposed SB 53, and spoke as
one who could have been aborted. She urged the use of
adoption rather than abortion.
Number 120
DEAN BIALIK from Delta Junction opposed SB 53 and supporting
abortions with tax dollars. He didn't think anyone should
have the authority to take a life from any other person, and
was a principle to create a balanced world, a healthy
family, and a strong nation.
DEBORAH MORRIS from Kenai opposed SB 53, and she described
her own decisions with an unplanned pregnancy as the right
choice for her.
CHARLES HORAN from Sitka opposed SB 53. He thanked SENATOR
TAYLOR for holding the hearings and the committee for their
time. He thought the previous testimony had been
tremendous, and he directed his testimony to any legislators
in favor of SB 53 and maintaining the status quo. He
challenged their advocacy for abortion rights, and suggested
the state needed to get involved in the abortion rights,
because, he declared, abortion is destroying a fetus - and a
child's issue.
MR. HORAN suggested providing education and job
opportunities, and eliminating all kinds of criminal and
social injustice instead of abortion. He said the present
regulations were too weak, and said SB 53 should be killed
instead.
Number 200
FRANCIS YOUNG from Ketchikan opposed SB 53, agreed with
KATHRYN GRONLUND and MR. HORAN, and she shared a letter from
a family member who has struggled with the problems of an
unexpected pregnancy, which was solved by adoption without
cost to the public. She suggested funding for adoption
rather than abortions and teaching control of sexual
behavior.
DOUGLAS BECKER from Anchorage opposed SB 53, thanked
everyone attending the meetings, and described his meaning
of an abortion. He explained how society had to protect the
life of an unborn child, and he said abortions could no
longer be tolerated in the State of Alaska. He discussed
the video, HARD TRUTH, and suggested any legislator
supporting SB 53 should submit to psychiatric evaluation to
determine fitness to govern the people of the State of
Alaska. He said the fitness would be determined in the next
election and demanded the legislators vote against SB 53.
JEANNIE GREEN from Juneau opposed SB 53 and 55. She thought
SB 53 would allow people to become more unaccountable for
their actions, and she suggested the woman would have the
choice of adoption.
Number 275
SUSAN FICHETTI from Eagle River opposed SB 53 and thought
the legislators have the obligation to use the people's
money wisely and not pay for the choice of an abortion. She
said abortions were not healthy or necessary.
JANICE DAREFF from Ketchikan talked about birth control
failure, and she disputed there was a potential parent for
every aborted baby. She described orphanages overflowing
with unwanted babies, and asked if those who didn't want
their tax dollars to go for abortion, would rather support
the child on welfare. MS. DAREFF asked for support for the
woman, who is ignored while only the unborn fetus is
considered. She gave additional reasons for supporting SB
53 and felt people should not force their beliefs on another
person.
Number 333
TOM SHELTON from Sitka opposed SB 53, and thanked SENATOR
TAYLOR and the committee for a thorough review of the issue.
He explained he represented voters who evaluated their
prospective legislators in the issue of abortion and voting
pattern. He said the role of the legislator was not to
reflect the electorate but were put in office to examine all
aspects of the issue, to determine what is right, just, and
fair. He summarized his testimony and said abortion was an
act of violence that kills babies.
SENATOR TAYLOR concluded the testimony and apologized to DR.
CHARLES BLOOD and PASTOR ROY MOONEYHAM in Delta Junction,
and in Ketchikan, MRS. ELEANOR JACOBSON, MARTA POORE, KAREN
DANGERFIELD, DEBBIE LAW, HEATHER MUNCH, BROOK HUNT, ROBYN
BOATWRIGHT, and DIXIE DUEHN, who had not been able to
testify.. He invited them to submit their testimony in
written form for the record.
Number 361
SENATOR TAYLOR thanked everyone on the teleconference sites
for their participation and left the network. He asked his
aide, KENNY LEAF, to summarize the testimony received
through the Public Opinion Messages and today's testimony.
MR. LEAF explained, of the POM'S previously received, 254
were against SB 53 and 57 supported SB 53. Of those
testifying today, 35 opposed SB 53 while 3 supported the
bill.
SENATOR DONLEY moved his amendment, SLO343\A.1 dated 2/9/93,
and explained it would make a permanent prohibition on the
executive branch from adopting similar regulations.
SENATOR TAYLOR asked SENATOR DONLEY if the change would be
to place SB 55 into SB 53, and SENATOR DONLEY said that was
correct. They discussed whether that would be pulling a
bill from committee, and SENATOR DONLEY defended his
actions.
SENATOR TAYLOR declared the motion out-of-order. SENATOR
DONLEY challenged the decision and appealed the decision to
the chair, citing Roberts Rule of Order. SENATOR TAYLOR
withdrew the order, and asked for a vote on the amendment.
The vote failed on a 2 - 2 vote.
Number 435
SENATOR DONLEY moved to pass SENATE BILL NO. 53 from
committee with individual recommendations. SB 53 passed
from committee on a 3 - 2 vote.
There being no further business to come before the
committee, the meeting was adjourned at 3:05 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|