Alaskans vote every 10 years on whether to hold a constitutional convention, and they’ve said no almost every time. This year, that vote could represent a rare opportunity for opponents of abortion rights.
Roughly 200 people gathered at rush hour in Midtown Anchorage in May to rally for the protection of reproductive rights. the landmark case Roe v. Wade on Friday, ending federal protections for abortion rights and leaving decisions about the legality of abortion up to states.
“Abortion is still safe and legal in Alaska,” said Rose O’Hara-Jolley, the Alaska director for the regional branch of Planned Parenthood. “The federal ruling has changed nothing as far as our state constitutional protection to the right to privacy. And so all of the rights that you had in place yesterday in Alaska for abortion access are still in place today.”“That covers privacy in all aspects of our lives, and one of those is our medical decisions,” O’Hara-Jolley said.
Opponents of abortion would like to see the state’s constitution amended. And this year, they might have ato do that through a constitutional convention — where elected delegates could propose changes to the state’s constitution. The PFD question is what most interests Nikiski Republican Rep. Ben Carpenter. He said he has mixed feelings about holding a convention, but it could be a good way to address the state’s long-held fiscal woes.Carpenter said he would like to see abortion outlawed, too.
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