By SUZANNE DOWNING
A Wasilla Republican lawmaker has once again introduced legislation that would redefine the terms “person” and “life” in Alaska statute, a move that aligns criminal law with biology and constitutional principles. But it faces steep political headwinds in a Legislature dominated by pro-abortion lawmakers.
House Bill 251, introduced by Rep. Kevin McCabe of Big Lake, would amend Alaska’s general and criminal law definitions to clarify who qualifies as a “person” and to formally define “life” in statute. The bill closely mirrors legislation McCabe introduced during the 33rd Legislature, which advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee but never reached the House floor.
The bill is among several pre-filed bills released today by the Legislative Affairs Agency. The list can be found here.
HB 251 amends two existing statutes to define a “person” as a natural person or “a human entity that has the moral right of self-determination,” while explicitly excluding artificial intelligence, animals, environmental elements, and inanimate objects.
It also adds a new statutory definition of “life,” describing it as the biological quality distinguishing a living human organism from a dead one or inanimate matter, citing characteristics such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, response to stimuli, and adaptation to the environment.
The bill applies only to offenses committed after its effective date of July 1, 2026.
The language is nearly identical to House Bill 107 from the 2023–2024 legislative session, which stalled before reaching a floor vote. That bill’s sponsor statement, submitted during committee consideration, laid out the constitutional and scientific arguments behind the proposal, asserting that Alaska’s Constitution protects the right to life of all persons regardless of age or stage of development, and that modern embryology recognizes a distinct human life beginning at conception.
That sponsor statement cited medical texts, legal precedents, and constitutional provisions to argue that defining “person” and “life” in statute would provide clarity in criminal law and align Alaska law with biological science.
Puerto Rico recently adopted language recognizing unborn life in its civil code.
McCabe has made clear through past filings that he views the bill as a constitutional and scientific clarification rather than a direct abortion ban. As of now, no sponsor statement has been published for the current bill, but legislative records show that the language and intent remain substantially the same as the earlier version that stalled in the 33rd Legislature.
