In November of 2007, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that a state law the legislature overwhelmingly passed back in 1997 allowing parents the right to agree or deny abortions their minor teenager daughters might be considering was unconstitutional. Children as young as 12 & 13 years old in Alaska can now have abortions without the guidance, consent or knowledge of their parents.

During the last legislative session, Rep. John Coghill [R] North Pole, sponsored legislation (HB364) that would overrule the Alaska Supreme Court decision and return to parents the right to direct and control the medical care of their children. Twelve other legislators came on board as co-sponsors. HB364 passed the House but never made it to the Senate floor for a vote because Sen. Hollis French, Chair of the Judiciary Committee, refused to bring the bill forward. Although Senate President Lyda Green has a procedural right to �roll the chair� or pull the bill out of Sen. French�s Committee, she chose not to do so and instead, wrote a letter to Governor Palin asking her to add HB364 to an upcoming special session to be held in June regarding gas line negotiations.

Governor Palin indicated in a follow up letter to Senator Green that although she did not believe the gas line special session was the appropriate venue to address HB364, she did say that she felt the issue was �important enough to be handled independently, outside oil and gas deliberations.� She also mentioned that � a shorter session, possibly in Anchorage, could be productive to address� the parental consent issue. Governor Palin has also said that �It is outrageous that a minor girl can get an abortion without parental consent.� and that � The Alaska Supreme Court is out of step with mainstream judicial decisions and our citizens. This decision is clearly a case of legislating from the bench.�

We couldn�t agree more with those statements. The Alaskan people have waited long enough to see this common sense legislation enacted into law. It is time for the people�s voice to finally be heard. By signing this petition, you are sending a strong message that Alaskan parents should be involved in the health decisions of their children!