I read with interest the letter from the Attorney General of Mississippi, Lynn Fitch. sent to President Joe Biden, cosigned by Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s attorney general, Treg Taylor. The letter claims that the Dobbs decision puts federal health care patient privacy enforcement in the hands of states.
This is a misreading the law, not surprising for a far-right politician from a former slave state. But such tortured construction is not acceptable for an Alaska attorney general who is sworn to uphold our state constitution, wherein the right to privacy of all Alaskans is enshrined, including the rights of our health care professionals. Taylor’s action in signing this letter violates his role as the chief constitutional officer for our state.
I will also point out that polling shows Alaskan support for women’s reproductive rights. Pew Research shows that 63% of Alaskans believe abortion should be available in all/ most cases.
Contrary to his “culture warrior” posturing, Taylor does not serve a “deep red state.” Gov. Dunleavy presides over a politically diverse state; he has no political mandate to pursue a culture war agenda in Alaska at all.
We should remember that the governor was elected with just 50.3% of the vote over a divided center-left opposition. Mr. Taylor needs to refocus his resources and efforts on the budget-starved work of the Department of Law in Alaska and quit preening for the approval of the national political right.
— Elstun Lauesen
Anchorage
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