Super Gag Rule to Family Planning Introduced
Minnesota NARAL Vows to Fight H.F. 436 Each Step of the Way Saint Paul, Minnesota—-As the Super Gag Rule was introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives Monday, Minnesota NARAL publicly vowed to do everything in its power to defeat the bill. The bill, H.F. 436, was introduced by Mary Liz Holberg (R-Lakeville). It would place several heavy-handed restrictions on family planning and other state funds that would likely have dire repercussions on family planning services in Minnesota. The bill prohibits a wide scope of state funds, including but not limited to all family planning funds, child and maternal health grants, and health disparity grants, from going to any organization that:
Provides abortion services
Is an affiliate of an organization that provides abortion services and shares a similar name, facilities, or employees as an abortion provider
Publicly advocates for the legality or accessibility of abortion
Publicly endorses or recommends the election or defeat of a candidate for public office based on the candidate’s position on the legality of abortion
Challenges this or other abortion-related laws by seeking equal protection in court
Maintains the position “that abortion is considered part of a continuum of family planning services, reproductive health services, or both”“I continue to find it astonishing that legislators who oppose abortion, are introducing bills like the Super Gag Rule, which if they become law will only increase the number of unintended pregnancies and abortion in Minnesota,” said Tim Stanley, executive director of Minnesota NARAL. “This bill would prohibit organizations that even consider abortion an option from receiving vital family planning funds.” The Alan Guttmacher Institute estimates that subsidized family planning services in Minnesota prevents 23,600 unwanted pregnancies each year. Nearly half of unintended pregnancies result in abortion. “Besides being backward public health policy, this bill doesn’t make fiscal sense,” said Stanley. “Every $1 spent on family planning services saves the state an estimated $3 in Medicaid costs for pregnancy-related care [Forrest & Samara, 1996]. Regrettably, these legislators aren’t trying to create sensible and fair public policy. They are simply placating the MCCL and other extreme social conservative groups to the detriment of women’s health care and their providers’ free speech rights.” Minnesota NARAL is an affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America and is the largest grassroots pro-choice group in Minnesota. Contact: Tim Stanley - 651-602-7655 ###
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