Planned Parenthood is calling a bill that would restrict late-term abortions in Alaska legally and medically questionable.
The bill, from Sen. John Coghill, would ban abortions in cases where doctors deem the fetus to be viable outside the womb. It includes exceptions if the pregnancy resulted from sexual assault or incest or is medically necessary. But in those cases, it calls on the doctor to take steps that give the fetus the best chance to survive if those actions do not endanger the woman’s life.
In written comments, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii says the bill contains confusing terminology. It notes the bill’s references to an unborn child being removed from the womb alive. But the group says that’s a delivery, not an abortion.
