Alaska lawmakers approve legislation that could expand abortion access in the state

Members of the Alaska House approved a bill last week that would expand the abortion pill's reach in the state by allowing pharmacists to prescribe and distribute the abortion pill.

Key Takeaways:

• Alaska House Bill 195 would allow pharmacists to prescribe and distribute certain medications.

• Some warn that the bill would permit pharmacists to prescribe the abortion pill.

• The bill passed the House on a 32-8 vote.

The Details:

House Bill 195 would allow pharmacists to prescribe and distribute medications "intended to achieve outcomes related to the cure or prevention of a disease, elimination or reduction of a patient's symptoms, or arresting or slowing of a disease process."

The Alaska Watchman shared an analysis of the bill written by Alaska Legislative Attorney Conran Gunther, who believes the legislation could open the door for the pharmacists to prescribe the abortion pill.

Gunther explained:

"...before prescribing such a drug, the pharmacist would need to enter a 'collaborative practice agreement with a written protocol approved by a practitioner who is not a pharmacist....' If that written protocol included prescribing or administering an abortion drug for one of the reasons described above, then the pharmacist would be permitted to prescribe or administer a drug that induces an abortion to a patient. One caveat, however, is that all health care professionals must confine the care they provide to their scope of practice. I do not know if providing an abortion falls under the scope of practice of pharmacists."

The Alaska Medical Board also previously spoke out against the legislation, warning that it would include controlled substances and "abortion medications."

"The authority to broadly prescribe any medication would mean pharmacists would have the ability to diagnose and therefore treat any medical condition. The diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions is the practice of medicine. The State Medical Board opposes pharmacists being granted the ability to practice medicine in Alaska," the group wrote.

Though an amendment was proposed to ensure that the bill would not apply to abortion-inducing drugs, that amendment was voted down. In the end, the bill passed the House on a 32-8 vote, with 11 Republicans voting in favor. The legislation next heads to the Senate.

Zoom In:

The abortion pill is known to be dangerous to women, with one study finding it to be four times more dangerous than a first-trimester surgical abortion. An analysis of insurance data looked at "serious adverse events" (complications) of the abortion pill, and found that they reportedly occur at a rate 22 times higher than the rate currently held by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These complications include hemorrhaging, infection, sepsis, transfusions, hospitalization, and more.

The Bottom Line:

Though pharmacists have medical training, they are not doctors. Allowing a pharmacist to prescribe such a dangerous drug (which has an FDA black box warning), only increases the risk to women. And it always kills preborn children.