Why is the MCCL Pulling Its #1 Priority from a Senate Hearing?
Minnesota NARAL calls for an honest debate on the 24-hour waiting period bill Saint Paul, Minnesota— With nearly all of Minnesota's political apparatus aligned with their beliefs, the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) have fortified the 24-hour waiting period they usually introduce with several new never before seen provisions. And yet, the MCCL’s lead lawmaker on the bill, Sen. Michelle Fischbach, wife of MCCL executive director Scott Fischbach, has pulled her bill from the agenda of her own committee. Minnesota NARAL believes that the MCCL is trying to hide something from the Senate. “Why isn’t the MCCL leaping at the opportunity to put their number one priority before the Senate committee process?” asked Tim Stanley, executive director of Minnesota NARAL. “My suspicion is that the MCCL is unwilling to discuss many of the new provisions they have added to this year’s version of the bill. They clearly don’t want Minnesotans to discover that this bill is a radical proposal with serious consequences to the lives of women as well as the practice of medicine,” said Stanley. This year’s version of the so-called “Woman’s Right to Know” has many aspects that have never been included in the bill the MCCL has offered in previous years. New provisions include:
Defining an embryo or fetus as an “unborn child” from the moment of fertilization.
Onerous reporting requirements designed to harass women and clinics with red tape.
Information on the scientifically unsound concept of “fetal pain.”
A provision sending a legal challenge of the law directly to the state Supreme Court, by-passing the normal judicial process.“After criticizing the Senate for not dealing with the bill, the MCCL is deliberately shrinking away from an honest debate,” said Stanley. “Too bad they won’t come before the Senate Health and Family Security Committee and defend their bill issue by issue. Instead they are belligerently circumventing the Senate committee process and hoping no one will notice.” 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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