Battle for Choice Heats Up in Alaska
There is a battle heating up in Alaska. Oddly, the rest of the country does not seem interested.
Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest is challenging an Alaska law that requires minors seeing abortion services to gain parental consent before the services can be rendered. Planned Parenthood is basing their constitutionality challenge on both privacy and equal protection.
As of December 2010, a minor who seeks abortion in Alaska must first get parental consent before the procedure takes place or they must petition the court for a waiver to the parental consent requirement.
As of this writing, Alaska has had seven waiver requests. Six of the requests were granted and one was withdrawn.
The trial is expected to last fifteen days.
