News from the Senate Majority

Alaska State Legislature

Wendy Lindskoog, Senate Majority Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
Phone: 907/465-4582
http://www.akrepublicans.org
Broadcast Actualities: 800/478-6540

For Immediate Release: January 29, 1997 Contact: Senator Loren Leman 907/465-2095

Governor Announces Opposition to Popular Parental Rights Bill

JUNEAU -- Speaking on behalf of Governor Knowles, Dr. Peter Nakamura of the Division of Public Health told a Senate committee this morning that Knowles is opposed to popular legislation which would require a minor to obtain permission from a parent or a judge before having an abortion.

"A state law that mandates parental involvement... is impractical, unjustified, and possibly unwise," Dr. Nakamura told the Senate Health, Education, and Social Services (HESS) Committee. The panel convened to consider Senate Bill 24, legislation to make Alaska's existing parental consent statute enforceable. The bill will enable minors to receive court permission for an abortion as an alternative to parental consent. The Supreme Court has ruled that a judicial bypass is necessary if parental consent laws are to be held constitutional.

Bill sponsor, Senator Loren Leman (R-Anchorage), expressed astonishment with the Administration's stance.

"This Governor is staking out a position on the fringes of the abortion debate. Parental consent is supported by 78 percent of Alaskans, and 38 states have laws requiring some form of parental involvement in the abortion decisions of minors," Leman said.

"A parent has to consent before a child can go on a field trip or get ears pierced, yet this Administration thinks that a 14-year-old should be able to undergo life-threatening abortion surgery without a parent even knowing about it. That is an extreme position. It's irrational. It is anti-family, and anti-parents' rights."

"Opponents talk mostly about the hard cases, abusive parents or dysfunctional families," Leman said. "The judicial bypass allows for these extenuating circumstances. The public testimony we heard today was overwhelmingly in favor of Senate Bill 24 and for that reason I expect it will win approval from the legislature and go to the Governor's desk. I hope he will consider the broad public support this bill enjoys, before he acts on it."

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