JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska lawmaker with a history of incendiary remarks was censured by the state House Wednesday after he said it has been argued that cases of fatal child abuse can be a “cost savings” because the child won’t need related government services.
The House voted 35-1 to censure Republican Rep. David Eastman of Wasilla, with Eastman the lone dissent. Eastman was previously censured, in 2017, over comments he made suggesting there are women in Alaska who try to get pregnant to get a “free trip to the city” for abortions.
During a committee hearing Monday on adverse childhood experiences, Eastman asked the testifier how he would respond “to the argument that I have heard on occasion where in the case where child abuse is fatal, obviously it’s not good for the child, but it’s actually a benefit to society” because there is not a need for government services that child would otherwise be entitled to if they had lived.
Eastman was previously censured in 2017 for comments he made that suggested some people in Alaska might try to get pregnant for a “free trip to the city” to have an abortion.
This is a followup to yesterday’s discussion:
