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UnRestrict Minnesota Celebrates Introduction of HF 91/SF 70, Calls On State Lawmakers To Remove Unconstitutional Anti-Abortion Restrictions From MN Law

UnRestrict Minnesota applauds the MN House introduction of HF 0091, by Representative Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester) and Senate companion SF 0070 by Senator Erin Maye Quade (DFL-Apple Valley)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2023

CONTACT
Erin Hart, Communications Director
508.250.7621

Saint Paul, Minn.—With the introduction of HF91/SF70, UnRestrict Minnesota is calling for lawmakers in both houses to pass the law and rid Minnesota’s legislative code of a lengthy list of restrictions on abortion rights and access, many of which have been ruled unconstitutional by Minnesota state courts.

“Just about every single one of Minnesota’s anti-abortion laws that have been challenged in court have been ruled unconstitutional, but as long as they remain on the books, they pose a threat to abortion rights and access,” said Abena Abraham, campaign director for UnRestrict Minnesota.

“Minnesotans spoke clearly through the results of the last election — they value reproductive freedom and oppose efforts to infringe upon this freedom, ” said House Speaker Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park).

Polling commissioned by UnRestrict Minnesota and conducted by PerryUndem in December 2022 showed strong and even overwhelming majorities of Minnesota voters strongly supporting decisive action by state lawmakers to protect abortion rights and expand abortion access — with 68 percent specifically supporting the repeal of laws that restrict access to abortion.

Among the harmful and unconstitutional anti-abortion laws HF91/SF70 would remove from Minnesota state law are:

  • A requirement that doctors deliver state-mandated anti-abortion propaganda to patients seeking abortion care — including demonstrably false information, such as a debunked claim linking abortion to breast cancer
  • A mandatory 24-hour waiting period for patients to get abortion care after they’ve received biased, state-mandated anti-abortion “counseling.” This is an unnecessary barrier to patients, especially those in Greater Minnesota who need to travel longer distances for care, or for those who have inflexibility with their work and life schedules.
  • A measure that unnecessarily prohibited anyone but doctors from performing abortions, outlawing abortions performed by advanced-practice registered nurses and other trained, licensed, qualified providers.
  • A law requiring minors seeking abortion care to notify both parents — even if their relationships with their parents are abusive or they have no relationship at all. These requirements forced those unable to notify both parents to go through the court system to get their care approved, and made it a crime to provide abortion care to minors who don’t have precisely the right paperwork — adding trauma to what can be a very stressful and difficult moment in their lives.
  • A law mandating all tissue resulting from an abortion or miscarriage to be buried or cremated, an intrusive requirement that ignored the beliefs, wishes, and preferences of the individuals and families involved.
  • A law requiring abortion providers to collect and report to the state an exhaustive list of personal details about abortion patients — including how much money they make, the number of miscarriages they’ve experienced, the “specific reason” they’re having an abortion, and how they paid for the abortion— an egregious invasion of privacy by the state.

“Minnesotans sent a pro-reproductive freedom majority to our state legislature to defend reproductive rights and health care access. After years of struggle to prevent further erosion of Minnesotans’ rights and access, pro-choice legislators are excited to get these unjust and unconstitutional laws off the books,” said bill author Representative Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester).

In 2022, a Minnesota court ruled that many of these laws violated the Minnesota state constitution — and there are many additional Minnesota laws that clearly violate the same constitutional standards — but they remain on the books and could be revived through further legal action by politicians and activists who seek to end safe and legal abortion in Minnesota.

“For more than 50 years the anti-abortion movement has quietly, yet successfully passed dozens of anti-abortion laws meant to shame and stigmatize patients, criminalize providers, and ultimately push care out of reach. Thankfully, many have been ruled unconstitutional by our courts, but it is obvious that to truly fulfill the promise of reproductive freedom in our state, we must consign these laws to the dustbin of history,” said Senator Erin Maye Quade (DFL-Apple Valley), author of SF 90 in the Senate.

UnRestrict Minnesota is an expansive and diverse coalition of Minnesota organizations supporting reproductive rights, health, and justice.

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