Gov. Mike Dunleavy wants to make it really, really clear he’s pro-life.
A second flag pledging his allegiance to the issue is now flying on one of the two flagpoles in front of the Governor’s House. The first featuring a pair of baby footprints was hoisted in January of 2024, the second with a more declarative “pro-life” banner in all-caps flying as of this week.
Dunleavy’s office did not immediately reply to questions submitted by the Empire at midday Tuesday about the motivation for a second flag with a common theme.
The first flag flown at the mansion featuring one blue and one pink baby footprint on a white surface — mirroring the colors of the transgender pride flag — was selected in a design competition by the Pro-Life Flag Project. It is displayed by many political entities as a counterstatement to rainbow and other flags flying at government facilities.
Its appearance at the Governor’s House occurred during the leading up to the second anniversary of the landmark Roe. v. Wade abortion case after it was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
“The governor is unapologetically pro-life,” Grant Robinson, a spokesperson for the governor, wrote in an email response to questions from the Empire at the time. “Every person conceived deserves the right to life, and the governor wanted to fly the pro-life flag to show his support for this basic human right.”
The flag was the target of about 50 protesters last June, the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned the nationwide legal right to an abortion.
The newer flag features three red-and-white strips with blue baby footprints between the words “pro-life” in the center white stripe. Its origins were not immediately known.
State Sen. Jesse Kiehl, a Juneau Democrat who participated in the protest last June, made a reference to President Donald Trump’s “One Flag Policy” enacted on his first day back in the White House that “only the United States of America flag is authorized to be flown or displayed at U.S. facilities, both domestic and abroad, and featured in U.S. government content.” Dunleavy is an outspoken Trump supporter.
Alaska statute doesn’t specifically ban or allow flags beyond the official U.S. and state flags that are required to be displayed at state buildings. However, a bill introduced by state Rep. Jamie Allard, an Eagle River Republican and ally of Dunleavy, could force the flags to be taken down if it becomes law.
HB45 adds a provision to state law that “a governmental entity may not erect or display a flag that represents a political viewpoint, including a viewpoint concerning race, sexual orientation, gender, or a politically partisan or political ideology.” Similar legislation has been introduced across the U.S. seeking to ban LGBTQ pride flags at schools and similar displays.
Allard’s bill appears unlikely to pass since the bipartisan House majority consists mostly of Democrats and the Senate also has a Democratic-led bipartisan majority.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
