Alaska Abortion Laws and How They Differ From Neighboring States

Abortion laws in Alaska are less restrictive than other parts of the country. However, they are not without controversy and are a bit tighter than some neighboring states.

Alaska is, of course, not technically a neighbor to any states. It borders Canada, a country with no legal restrictions against abortion, according to National Abortion Federation Canada.

The closest neighboring states to Alaska are Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

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According to a Guttmacher Institute report, Washington, Oregon and Idaho have many similar abortion laws to Alaska. However, Idaho is much more restrictive than Washington and Oregon. All four states require abortions to be performed by licensed physicians.

Alaska does not have the restriction of a waiting period between initial consultation with a doctor and an abortion. While 28 states have this regulation, Washington and Oregon also have no waiting period. Idaho is more restrictive with a 24-hour waiting period.

While 38 states have some kind of restriction for minors seeking abortions to consult, inform or get consent from a parent, Washington and Oregon do not. Alaska is slightly more restrictive than these neighbors requiring a minor child inform a parent. That child is not required to get consent. In Idaho, parental consent is required, but Planned Parenthood reported that a judge can waive this parental consent.

A 2013 report in The New York Times looked at abortion restrictions based on weeks of gestation. Idaho prohibited abortions at 22 weeks, and Washington banned abortions at viability. Neither Alaska nor Oregon had any specific laws which forbid abortions based on gestational stage. The law in Idaho had been challenged in the courts.

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In 2014, a law that would place some restrictions on the use of Medicaid funds for abortions was met with controversy. The law faced a lawsuit because it defined what medically necessary conditions could qualify as legitimate reasons for abortions to be paid for by public funds. According to a KTUU report, abortion advocates wanted the state to allow for a medically necessary abortion to include mental health problems. The state argued the law was in line with other restrictions on Medicare coverage.

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