Planned Parenthood reports record abortions nationwide, as Alaska bill would expand abortion pills through pharmacies

By SUZANNE DOWNING

April 11, 1026 – As Planned Parenthood reports record abortion numbers and record taxpayer funding nationally, Alaska lawmakers are considering legislation that would expand access to abortion drugs by allowing pharmacists to prescribe them, at the same time Planned Parenthood has reduced its physical presence in the state.

House Bill 195, scheduled for consideration in the House Finance Committee on Monday, would authorize Alaska pharmacists to prescribe and dispense abortion-inducing medications directly to patients. The measure effectively shifts abortion services that were provided by Planned Parenthood into retail pharmacies, while supporters argue it expands access, particularly in rural areas.

Abortion-by-pharmacist bill heads to House Finance for Monday

The proposal comes as Planned Parenthood’s latest annual report shows the organization performed 434,450 abortions, the highest number in its history, during the period from October 2023 through September 2024. That represents an increase of more than 32,000 abortions from the prior year and a 34% increase since 2014. The vast majority of those abortions are now done by chemicals women take to induce a miscarriage.

The same report shows Planned Parenthood received a record $832 million in taxpayer funding, an increase of $39.8 million from the previous year. Government reimbursements and grants accounted for roughly 38–39% of the organization’s $2.143 billion in total revenue.

The funding covered a period before the July 2025 passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which restricted certain federal Medicaid reimbursements to abortion-providing organizations, including Planned Parenthood.

Despite the increase in abortions nationally, Planned Parenthood’s physical footprint in Alaska has shrunk in recent years.

The Juneau Planned Parenthood Health Center closed permanently in November 2024 after initially shutting down for building repairs. The Soldotna clinic closed at the end of May 2022, and the Sitka location closed more than a decade ago.

As of early 2026, only two Planned Parenthood locations remain in Alaska: clinics in Anchorage and Fairbanks.

The reduction in clinics comes as medication abortions, typically involving mifepristone and misoprostol,  have become a larger share of abortion services nationally. Planned Parenthood has previously stated that roughly 70% of its abortions are medication-based, and the organization reported more than 320,000 telehealth appointments in its latest report.

HB 195 would allow pharmacists to prescribe those same medications without a physician examination. It would effectively shift abortion services from clinics to pharmacies.

The proposal is being debated as national abortion totals have risen following the 2022 Dobbs decision. Estimates place US abortions in the range of roughly 1.1 million annually in recent years, with Planned Parenthood accounting for a significant share.