27.0°

Gov. Sarah Palin on Wednesday rebuffed a call to expand a June special session on natural gas pipeline issues to include abortion.

Sen. President Lyda Green, R-Wasilla, had earlier asked the governor to expand the June 3 special session, after the Legislature failed to act on the issue in the 90-day regular session that concluded earlier this month.

Palin on Wednesday shifted the issue back to Green, saying she'd consider a separate session "if the Senate president can show a path to success."

Both the governor and the Senate president are conservative Republican women from Wasilla, and both are outspoken opponents of abortion, but they have been at loggerheads on numerous state government issues.

Rep. Beth Kerttula, D-Juneau, House Democratic Leader, praised Palin's decision to not let the emotional abortion topic interfere with the gas pipeline plans.

"We have to be focused on the gas line issue," she said. "It's the whole future of the state, and it would be a terrible mistake to throw other issues at us."

Palin said she was disappointed "Senate President Green did not exhaust every possible option during the regular session to move the legislation," and called on Green to explain what she'd do differently to move the legislation in a special session.

Kerttula said there was a good reason two House bills died in the Senate.

One, aimed at banning a procedure abortion opponents call "partial-birth" abortion, was written so broadly it would likely have banned all abortion, Kerttula said.

"The legislation was poorly crafted, and unconstitutional," she said.

• Contact reporter Pat Forgeyat 523-2250 or e-mail patrick.forgey@juneauempire.com.