Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has vetoed a bill to expand birth control access, while a judge struck down decades-old restrictions on who could perform abortions in the state.
The Republican governor's veto Wednesday stunned supporters of the measure, which would have forced insurance companies to cover up to a year’s supply of birth control at a time, something considered especially important in providing access in distant rural communities.overwhelmingly passed the state Legislature this year: 29-11 in the Republican-controlled House and 16-3 in the Senate, which has bipartisan leadership. It was not opposed by insurance companies, supporters noted.
“Governor Dunleavy’s veto of HB 17, after eight years of tireless effort, overwhelming community support, and positive collaboration with the insurance companies, is deeply disappointing,” said Democratic Rep. Ashley Carrick, the bill’s sponsor. “There is simply no justifiable reason to veto a bill that would ensure every person in Alaska, no matter where they live, has access to essential medication, like birth control.
The Alaska Supreme Court has interpreted the right to privacy in the state’s constitution as encompassing abortion rights. Women, particularly in rural Alaska, have to fly to larger cities, such as Anchorage, Juneau or even Seattle, for abortion care because of the limited availability of doctors who can provide the service in the state, or sometimes women wait weeks before they’re seen by a doctor, according to the lawsuit.
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