Minnesota Senate Republicans defeated a pro-abortion bill Thursday that would have created a so-called “right” to abort an unborn baby in state law.
The Star Tribune reports Minnesota Senate Democrats tried but failed to advance the bill out of committee in response to a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court that shows the justices overturning Roe v. Wade.
Senate File 731, sponsored by state Sen. Jennifer McEwen, D-Duluth, would recognize abortion as a “fundamental right” in Minnesota and deny all rights to unborn babies (any “fertilized egg, embryo or fetus”) under state law.
“The people of Minnesota are looking to us now — now — to protect their rights, to enshrine them in statute, to make sure that politicians and their government, is not going to reach into their homes, reach into their bedrooms, reach into their private decision making,” McEwen said, according to the AP. “This is urgent.”
Democrat leaders admitted their action was an effort to pander to voters ahead of the November election, because they knew the Republican-led Senate would reject the bill.
LifeNews is on GETTR. Please follow us for the latest pro-life news
State Senate Minority Leader Melisa López Franzen, D-Edina, said they want voters to see where Republicans stand on the issue as the U.S. Supreme Court appears likely to overturn Roe this summer, according to the report.
“I think, in this case, it completely changed the landscape of this election,” López Franzen said.
She promised that Democrats will fight for the “right” to abortion in Minnesota.
Minnesota has very few protections for unborn babies. In 1995, the Minnesota Supreme Court basically created a right to abortion in the state constitution through the case Doe v. Gomez. As a result, state taxpayers are forced to pay for abortions, and abortions are legal for almost any reason.
McEwen’s bill would have “codified” the so-called right to abort an unborn baby into state law so that abortions would remain legal even if the Minnesota Supreme Court overturns the ruling.
Because that ruling remains in place, however, it will still be legal to abort an unborn baby in the state even if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe. However, as many as 26 other states are expected to protect unborn babies by banning abortions, The Guttmacher Institute predicts.
Polls consistently show that most Americans support strong legal protections for unborn babies – more than what Roe allows. LifeNews highlighted 11 recent polls here. A new Rasmussen poll this week shows more Americans want Roe v. Wade overturned (48 percent) than want the ruling to remain in place (45 percent).
