By: James Brooks, Alaska Beacon
In the race for Alaska’s U.S. House seat, Republican candidate Nick Begich and Democratic incumbent Rep. Mary Peltola have similar views on economic issues, but differ on abortion and reproductive health issues.
In a candidate questionnaire from an anti-abortion group, Begich said he would support a federal ban on abortion after about the 12th week of pregnancy.
It’s a position starkly different from the Democratic incumbent, Mary Peltola, who said by email that she opposes a national ban.
Begich opposes legislative efforts that would allow public health programs to provide treatment for infertility, such as in-vitro fertilization, or IVF. Peltola supports those efforts.
Peltola supports public funding for abortion services beyond the federal Hyde Amendment, which restricts Medicaid abortion services to cases of rape, incest or if the pregnancy endangers a mother’s life. Begich opposes an extension.
Begich’s answers were first published by Alaska Family Action before the primary election.
Peltola and John Wayne Howe, the third-place finisher in Alaska’s top-four primary, didn’t complete the AFA questionnaire, and the Beacon sought their answers for four questions pertaining to reproductive health.
By email, Howe said he opposes using the term “abortion” and prefers to call it “child murder.”
“Using this term leaves no doubt about what we are discussing,” he said.
Despite his opposition, he believes people will continue to seek abortions whether or not it is legal, and an act of Congress wouldn’t change that.
“I know that too many people are determined to kill their children, and as was the case in the early 1970s,” he wrote. “They will get help to perform these murders whether legal or not. I do not support a ban on child murder at this time.”
Howe said he does support the Hyde Amendment restrictions and opposes the use of public funds for infertility treatment.
Asked about his responses to the Alaska Family Action questionnaire, Begich responded by email.
“I am pro-life and a Constitutionalist who is committed to supporting legislation that helps mothers and families and will not support federal funding for abortions,” he said. “While I strongly support efforts that defend the rights of those not yet born, the courts have made it clear, abortion is a state issue and not an issue for the federal government to decide.”
The statement went on to say that he has held this position for a long time, and that it “has become nothing more than a weaponized distraction for Democrats.”
Begich said he would rather discuss economic and crime issues that cause women to consider abortion.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that protected abortion rights in America, the topic has become a major political issue.
This November will be the first general election since the Supreme Court’s decision, and opinion polling indicates that the topic is among the most important for registered voters, behind economic issues, threats to democracy, and immigration.
Abortion is the top issue among Democratic women and Democratic-leaning independent women of reproductive age, polling indicates.
In Alaska, legislators have enacted laws seeking to limit abortion, but those laws have been overturned by the Alaska Supreme Court, which has repeatedly ruled that the state’s constitutional right to privacy protects reproductive health decisions, including abortion.
Alaska, eight other states and Washington, D.C. do not ban abortions.
Fourteen states have total bans with few exceptions, four states ban abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy, two states set the limit at 12 weeks, one state at 15 weeks, and 20 others have longer bans.
Due dates are measured by the start of a woman’s last menstrual period. Most pregnancies aren’t detected until after a woman misses a period, typically four weeks into pregnancy for women with regular, reliable cycles.
Prenatal genetic and ultrasound testing for abnormalities is typically done between 10 and 13 weeks. A second screening typically takes place between 15 and 22 weeks.
Alaska’s health department reported 1,222 abortions in 2023, near the state’s five-year average.
Of those procedures, 56% involved the medication Mifepristone, and 92% took place before or in the 13th week of pregnancy.
The availability of Mifepristone has been a campaign issue in this year’s presidential election, following efforts by some Republicans to use the Comstock Act — a 19th Century law — to ban its distribution by mail.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has waffled on the issue, first saying he would not block access to the drug, then saying that he’s open to revoking access. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris opposes efforts to restrict the drug.
