Discipline against medical professionals for providing gender-affirming care voted on by Alaska Medical Board

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Alaska State Medical Board voted unanimously Friday to start changing regulations for medical board licensees providing transgender healthcare to minors.

“This is a first step in a multi-step process,” Board member Brent Taylor said. “There will be other opportunities to address the board if you’re not able to today.”

Alaska’s News Source reached out to all current members of the medical board for comment Friday, but none responded. After responding to the State Medical Board, Alaska’s News Source was told to submit questions in writing and to be “advised that it could take a couple of business days for us to respond.” The board has not responded to questions as of publication.

Under the proposed draft language, medical professionals who provide medical or surgical intervention to minors to treat, what the board calls, gender dysphoria would be conducting what they consider “unprofessional conduct.”

“Protecting youth means acting with compassion, but also with caution,” said board member David Paulson. “I think that our first duty is to do no harm, and irreversible choices should wait until they can be made with an adult’s understanding.”

Board member Matt Heilala, an Anchorage podiatrist, said the changes would be used as a tool at the discretion of the board and would not be obliged to discipline or sanction.

The extent of what those disciplinary actions or sanctions aren’t clear.

About 20 minutes of Friday’s meeting was allocated for public comment, said Board Executive Administrator Natalie Norberg. In that time, 13 people spoke, all of which spoke against passage of the resolution.

“It’s my calling to care for people. To nurture spirits and to support emotional and spiritual health,” Unitarian Universalist Minister Becca Bernard. “I especially care that young people get what they need to grow into happy and capable adults. I can’t imagine deliberately withholding emotional or spiritual care that would contribute to a young person’s thriving.

“Or save a young person’s life.”

Many who spoke said the changes were being pushed through as part of a political agenda, it restricted the rights of patients to make their own health decisions, and called it unnecessary claiming regret rates for gender affirming healthcare are very low.

Board member Dave Wilson said he appreciated the public input on the issue but denied the claim that the board was motivated by politics and said they were acting on concerns over treating gender dysphoria in minors brought to them by members of the public.

“We as a board are responding to a public concern that was brought to us,” Wilson said.

The changes do not immediately go into effect and the language will be reviewed by the Attorney General’s office, according to the Associated Press. Attorney General Treg Taylor recently announced that he would be resigning from office.

Following the attorney general’s review, the changes will be given 30 days of public comment which the board can hold a meeting to receive, though it is not required to do so, the Associated Press also reports.

The board said they would extend the time allotted to the public comment period due to the public interest in the regulation change vote. Board member Brent Taylor said anyone who wanted to speak on the issue would be able to at some point in the process.

Late-term abortions

The board also voted unanimously to approve a statement on “late-term abortions.” The statement says the board believes “late-term abortions” are unethical and do not “embody the value” of Alaskans.

The Mayo Clinic defines pregnancy as late-term once it reaches 42 weeks and beyond. However, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the term “late-term abortion” has no clinical or medical significance.

CDC data from 2022 reports that 1-4 abortions happened after 21 weeks. It does not report how many abortions, if any, took place after 42 weeks.

Editor’s note: This article was updated with additional reporting and information.

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