Planned Parenthood sued Alaska on Thursday, seeking to overturn a state law that requires patients to travel to a medical facility to obtain medication abortions, arguing the restriction violates constitutional protections and unnecessarily limits access to care in one of the nation's most geographically challenging states.
The lawsuit, filed in Alaska Superior Court, challenges a state statute that Planned Parenthood says effectively prohibits direct-to-patient telehealth medication abortions by requiring all abortions to be performed in a hospital or other approved healthcare facility.
Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai‘i, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky, which operates health centers in Anchorage and Fairbanks, contends the restriction forces some Alaskans to travel hundreds of miles — in some cases more than 700 miles — to access abortion care.
The organization says the requirement delays patient care and prevents some patients from obtaining abortions altogether.
The lawsuit names the State of Alaska, Acting Attorney General Cori Mills, the Alaska Department of Health, the State Medical Board and the Alaska Board of Nursing as defendants.
According to the complaint, Alaska broadly permits telehealth services for a wide range of medical care, including other pregnancy-related services, but prohibits clinicians from providing medication abortions through direct-to-patient telehealth.
Planned Parenthood argues the state allows providers to prescribe the same medications used in medication abortions for miscarriage treatment through telehealth while banning their use for abortion care.
The organization says medication abortions account for most abortions it provides in Alaska and that research has demonstrated telehealth medication abortions are safe and effective.
The complaint cites studies and recommendations from major medical organizations supporting telehealth abortion services.
The lawsuit argues that Alaska's constitution protects a fundamental right to abortion and that the telehealth restriction violates both privacy and equal-protection guarantees by treating abortion differently from other forms of healthcare.
The complaint also notes that violations of the law can carry felony penalties, including up to five years in prison.
Planned Parenthood is asking the court to declare the law unconstitutional and block state officials from enforcing it.
The organization also seeks an order preventing state regulators from disciplining providers who offer medication abortions through direct-to-patient telehealth.
The complaint was filed June 11 in Anchorage by attorneys representing Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Alaska.