Abortion has been legal in Alaska for more than 50 years, since before the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. But that doesn’t mean much if pregnant people can’t get the care that’s their legal right. Laws designed to curb access to providers have made that hard, but Alaska also suffers from a shortage of physicians, particularly those specializing in women’s health. As a result, many Alaskans rely on nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, and other advanced practi

The federal Hyde Amendment bans Medicaid coverage of most abortions, leaving low-income women without access to abortion care unless the state they live in provides its own coverage. In the Northwest, Alaska, Montana, Oregon, and Washington all provide Medicaid funding for abortion care. Recently, however, Alaska's policies have come under siege from anti-choice politicians. In 2013, the Alaska Department of Health adopted a regulation so restrictive that it would prevent