Tlingit and Haida Central Council joins chorus of Rep. Eastman’s critics

The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska on Tuesday formally added itself to the chorus of critics of Alaska lawmaker David Eastman.

Leaders within the organization, which represents more than 30,000 Tlingit and Haida people, had piles of unflattering adjectives to characterize Eastman’s comments, including “appalling,” “demeaning,” “egregious,” “inexcusable,” “venomous,” “indefensible” and “demonizing.”

Wasilla Republican Rep. David Eastman hasn’t backed down from his claim that some women from Alaska villages purposely get pregnant to get Medicaid-funded trips to Seattle or Anchorage for abortions.

Nor has Eastman substantiated the claim.

I asked Central Council President Richard Peterson if he was aware of anyone, Native or otherwise, who was interested in getting pregnant in order to get a trip to the city.

“That is the most ridiculous statement he ever made — I’ve ever heard – No! I’ve never! And, you know, to be honest, I don’t know that many Native women who have an abortion, you know? So, it’s just frustrating,” he said with a exasperated sigh.

Eastman denied he was referring to Alaska Natives in an interview on KTVA.

“This is not a racial issue,” Eastman said Saturday. “This is dealing with the fact that our state is paying for this and we want to raise issue with that. … Race is not the factor here. Obviously, when you’re dealing with travel, it’s gonna be from some place out of Anchorage, but that’s not specific to any particular part of our state ‘cause the policies are not based on race. What they are based on, is the fact that abortion is funded by our state.”

Peterson isn’t buying it.

“People can say, you know, ‘He didn’t single out Alaska Natives.’ But, you know, we’re synonymous with rural Alaska. Those are the people he’s talking about,” he said.

Peterson said he has seen some feedback sympathetic to Eastman.

“You have to troll the racist comments on, you know, news sites from people to find those,” Peterson said.

Legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle have demanded Eastman apologize. He has not.

Jeremy Hsieh

Local News Reporter, KTOO

I dig into questions about the forces and institutions that shape Juneau, big and small, delightful and outrageous. What stirs you up about how Juneau is built and how the city works?

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