The state recently ordered medical providers to cease providing abortions, dubbing the procedure “elective.” During this pandemic, Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Dr. Anne Zink and Commissioner Adam Crum have done an excellent job unifying the state and listening to health experts to form their policies. I am proud and grateful for their leadership, but they have made a dangerous mistake with this amendment. It must be corrected immediately, and here is why:
Half of pregnancies are unintended. A small fraction of these women seek abortions. When they do, it is for a multitude of sound reasons. We are in a time of uncertainty, with unprecedented unemployment, sky-high traffic at women’s shelters, and increased concerns about health and health care. Now more than ever, we must trust women and their families to decide whether having a child is responsible.
According to the mandate, procedures may resume June 15. It is unsafe to delay an abortion that long. A woman would be past most dates that would allow her to have an abortion and would effectively be forced to deliver.
We need to reserve hospital resources during this pandemic. However, this is not an effective policy to support that aim. Abortions are minimally invasive and thus require little PPE. They are done in clinic settings, not in hospitals or operating rooms. As a former Planned Parenthood employee and current hospital nurse, I can tell you that the PPE needed for an abortion in a clinic is about the same as an average urinary catheter insertion at the hospital.
I hope Gov. Dunleavy and Commissioner Crum listen to my concerns. But if they don’t, I hope they at least listen to the medical experts. The top seven national medical societies for obstetrics and gynecology issued a joint statement opposing limitations to abortion during COVID-19 restrictions. The American College of Surgeons agrees access should not be significantly delayed. The voice of the medical community is clear. Delaying and effectively removing women’s access to abortion is not a safe action to take.
— Liz Iandoli Miner
Anchorage
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