SJR 13-CONST. AM: PROHIBIT ABORTION/FUNDING  2:25:00 PM CHAIR COGHILL announced the consideration of SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 13, Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to abortion. [CHAIR COGHILL opened public testimony on SJR 13.] 2:26:32 PM MARGARET MCDONAGH, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, said she is a lifelong Alaskan who believes SJR 13 violates the right to privacy guaranteed in the Constitution of the State of Alaska. She views someone's health care decisions, including reproductive health care, as private decisions. She urged members not to move SJR 13 from committee. 2:27:18 PM MATT DUNCAN, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, spoke in opposition to SJR 13. He offered his view that charities care for the unwanted children of the world. He suggested that people will testify that they want abortion banned, yet they do not want to care for the people who are not wanted. He referred to a book, The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, to substantiate his belief that legalized abortion leads to less crime. He offered his belief that a woman's right to make her own decisions is her right. 2:29:55 PM CHERYL LOVEGREEN, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, stated that SJR 13 would amend the Constitution of the State of Alaska and remove Alaskans' right to privacy and the right to safe and legal abortions. It would force women and teenage girls to endure pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. She pointed out that Alaska has high rates of sexual assault. She cited a recent poll that indicates that nearly 8 of 10 Alaskans are opposed to the legislature banning abortion. She urged members to vote it down. 2:31:05 PM SENATOR HUGHES clarified that this resolution does not ban abortion or remove a woman's rights or force someone who has been raped to seek an illegal abortion. Instead, SJR 13 would allow the legislature and Alaskans through an initiative process to decide if there are any parameters regarding abortion that the state would like to set, just as other states have done. She asked testifiers to read SJR 13. She reiterated that it would allow the legislature to set the policy rather than the judiciary. 2:32:34 PM SENATOR KIEHL explained that the sponsor was correct on the direct effect of SJR 13, but it would permit those restrictions and many more. CHAIR COGHILL acknowledged that would be part of the committee discussion with the cloud of the Alaska Supreme Court's decisions impacting the issue. 2:33:05 PM SAVANNA SCHOESSLER, representing self, Soldotna, Alaska, expressed her frustration of not being able to testify at an earlier hearing. She said she is a lifelong Alaskan who opposes SJR 13. She disagreed with the sponsor's earlier comments because it leaves woman's health care decisions in the government's realm instead of with women. This includes forced births, which does not have a place in civilized society. She is opposed to government intervention and to changing the Constitution of the State of Alaska. She offered her view that a member is being paid by an anti-abortion organization. 2:35:36 PM SENATOR MICCICHE asked the Chair to prohibit accusations during public testimony, which is unfair, unjustified, and should not occur. He welcomed hearing opinions during public testimony, but he was not willing to be personally maligned. CHAIR COGHILL cautioned testifiers against making personal accusations and to limit their comments to the resolution. He acknowledged that this issue elicits strong opinions. 2:36:32 PM HAYDEN NEVILL, representing self, Fairbanks, Alaska, stated that he understands the language in SJR 13. He said he loves Alaska because he values its natural beauty, but he also values Alaskans' right to privacy and the right for individuals to make their own decisions. In fact, the right to privacy is so valued that it is included in the Constitution of the State of Alaska. He offered his belief that the courts have correctly interpreted that the right to privacy includes the right to access abortion. A woman's decision surrounding abortion is intensely personal but is none of his business or the business of lawmakers, he said. He urged members not to undermine Alaskans' right to privacy because of one issue. 2:38:24 PM TERRISA BUKOVINAC, Founder, Pro-Life San Francisco, San Francisco, Alaska, spoke in support of SJR 13. She said she is a feminist, and an activist in several arenas. This organization is dedicated to resisting the influence of abortion in her community. She said SJR 13 is crucial to achieve equal representation for all Alaskans. She said that as a fulltime activist she has worked on similar legislation that does not criminalize abortion but keeps the door open to regulation. She indicated she has heard people's beliefs that resolutions of this type will be used to ban abortion. She agreed that some people do, just as some want to ban all birth control. She informed members that hundreds of research projects rely on fetal tissue that is provided by 18-24 weeks old fetuses. It concerns her because fetuses over 22 weeks have a very high rate of survival and because of the methods used for late term abortions. She cited a poll that showed that 72 percent of Democrats want abortion more restricted and regulated. 2:42:00 PM KATHY TAYLOR YOKEL, representing self, Fairbanks, Alaska, spoke against SJR 13 and in support of the right to privacy. She pointed out that that birth control is not 100 percent effective and then related her family's experiences related to abortions and to the medical risk of pregnancy. CHAIR COGHILL held public testimony open and encouraged the public to submit written testimony to senate.judiciary@akleg.gov. 2:44:31 PM MOIRA PYHALA, representing self, Soldotna, Alaska, said she is a lifelong Alaskan. She remarked that Alaska has the highest incidence of sexual assault in the nation. She stated that she was a victim of sexual assault as a 15-year old, which fortunately did not result in a pregnancy. She offered her view that she would not have graduated from college if she had become pregnant. She did not believe SJR 13 would end abortion, but that it would end safe and legal abortions. She said she considers health care to include abortion. She urged Senator Micciche to help provide access to health care rather than to undermine health care decisions that women in his district make and urged the legislature to address important issues, including the high incidence of sexual assault in Alaska. CHAIR COGHILL reminded members to stay focused on SJR 13. 2:47:37 PM DIANA REDWOOD, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, spoke in opposition to amending the Constitution of the State of Alaska through SJR 13. She said this resolution seems to weaken the privacy protections and reproductive health in the state. She referred to SJR 13, which states it is to protect human life, but access to family planning, including abortion, is also an economic issue. When abortions are limited, it increases women's chances to experience poverty, unemployment, and dependence on public assistance programs. She urged members not to pass SJR 13 from committee. 2:49:11 PM CHRISTINE ROBBINS, representing self, Fairbanks, Alaska, spoke in support to SJR 13. She said this will put power back to the people and restore balance in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. She offered her view that less than one percent of abortions are medically necessary. She offered her view that supporting abortion is a violation of conscience for most Alaskans and Americans. She stated that she works in various ministries and many people do want the unwanted. She objected to public funding of abortion. She did not consider abortions as health care. She offered her view that the issue is not about privacy but about having abortion paid for by someone else. 2:51:11 PM ANDY RICE, representing self, North Pole, Alaska, spoke in support of SJR 13, to place the matter on the ballot. She offered her view that each life matters. She spoke in opposition to having tax dollars spent on abortions and opined that all the lives that have been lost is a travesty to society. 2:52:29 PM At ease. 2:53:24 PM CHAIR COGHILL reconvened the meeting. 2:53:30 PM ROBYN STEVENS, representing self, Juneau, Alaska, said she has been lucky to have consistent access to birth control, medically accurate sex education, and healthy relations. Many women are not lucky. She said she understands what SJR 13 does. It has been upheld over and over that people have the right to self- determination and cannot be forced to donate blood to another person, yet she would be denied bodily autonomy. She said the defining feature of slavery was to take away people's rights. She offered her view that forced pregnancy is being executed by the most barbaric factions in the modern world and listed as a human rights violation by the United Nations. The U.S. has the highest risk of maternal mortality in the developed world. She suggested that the focus should be to provide the best chance for every wanted child instead of forcing vulnerable women into potentially life-threatening situations. 2:55:40 PM DANIEL DAUGHERTY, Student, University of Alaska Fairbanks; President, Arctic Students for Life, Fairbanks, Alaska, spoke in support of SJR 13. He said he has not heard people define abortion in today's testimony, but it is the ending of a human life. He found it disturbing that people ignore that definition, but instead talk about taking away women's rights. This resolution would allow legislature to regulate the ending of a human life. 2:58:29 PM PRINCE NWANKUDU, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, spoke in support of SJR 13. He said the issue at stake is a human life. He said protecting the child in the womb is a moral obligation to ensure medical abortion is regulated. He did not view the resolution as banning abortion, but to make sure that people do not have an abortion as a right, which is contradictory to federal laws. He said many pro-life people are champions of adoptions. He urged members to let Alaskans decide this issue via a ballot initiative. 3:00:33 PM CHAIR COGHILL encouraged people to submit written testimony to senate.judiciary@akleg.gov. He said public testimony will be held open. SJR 13 was held in committee.