An Anchorage Superior Court judge has temporarily suspended a regulation that would have restricted women who qualify for Medicaid funded abortions.
The regulation went into effect over the weekend. It requires doctors to fill out a new form certifying the woman seeking a Medicaid-funded abortion is in imminent danger of medical impairment of a major bodily function.
The regulation was introduced in August by Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Bill Streur.
Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit against the state last Wednesday. They object to the state narrowing the definition of when an abortion is medically necessary.
Judge John Suddock can issue a Preliminary Injunction suspending the regulation for a longer period of time if the court case is not settled quickly.
Daysha Eaton is a contributor with the Alaska Public Radio Network.
Daysha Eaton holds a B.A. from Evergreen State College, and a M.A. from the University of Southern California. Daysha got her start in radio at Seattle public radio stations, KPLU and KUOW. Before coming to KBBI, she was the News Director at KYUK in Bethel. She has also worked as the Southcentral Reporter for KSKA in Anchorage.
Daysha's work has appeared on NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered", PRI's "The World" and "National Native News". She's happy to take assignments, and to get news tips, which are best sent via email.
Daysha became a journalist because she believes in the power of storytelling. Stories connect us and they help us make sense of our world. They shed light on injustice and they comfort us in troubled times. She got into public broadcasting because it seems to fulfill the intention of the 4th Estate and to most effectively apply the freedom of the press granted to us through the Constitution. She feels that public radio has a special way of moving people emotionally through sound, taking them to remote places, introducing them to people they would not otherwise meet and compelling them to think about issues they might ordinarily overlook.
