Legislation to Watch
2010 Legislative Wrap Up Over 20 anti-choice amendments were introduced in both the House and the Senate, but none of them were in final legislation signed by the Governor. Thank you to all of our pro-choice advocates and activists for their work this session! Responsible Sex Ed NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota strongly supports medically accurate, age-appropriate, comprehensive sexuality education programs as a vital part of any adolescent pregnancy prevention and health promotion effort. During the 2010 session, we worked hard to continue to get this vital piece of legislation passed. Our bill passed through two committees in the House, and one in the Senate. Even though our bill did not pass, we still need to your to contact your representative and senator today and tell them that you support comprehensive sex ed! Our work continues even if the session has ended. In 2008, the sex ed bill passed in both the House and Senate. However, it was stripped during conference committee negotiations for the second year in a row. In 2007, the sex ed bill was included in the final Education Omnibus bill presented to the Governor. Following pressure from House Republicans, the Governor demanded that sex ed be removed from the bill or he would veto. Through our partnership with the Coalition for Responsible Sex Ed, NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota will continue to bring grassroots pressure on the entire Legislature to stand up for sex ed. Minnesota Parents Want Sex Ed! See the not-so-surprising survey results from the University of Minnesota Preservation of Family Planning Funds Once again, our champions worked to preserve the essential funding for our family planning providers. We fought back three amendments to completely elimnate this valuable program, despite the fact that for every $1 spent on family planning, the state saves $4, one of the best investments of state funding. Family planning prevent unintended pregnancies and provide women and their families with the tools to plan their lives. Attacks on Choice Instillation “saline” abortions: Instillation abortion is performed by injecting a chemical solution consisting of saline, urea, or prostaglandin through the abdomen. The chemical solution induces uterine contractions which expel the fetus. Just over 50 of these procedures have been performed in Minnesota since 2002. Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) has made banning the use of saline a top legislative priority.
NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota will defend the right of physicians to determine the best course of treatment for their own patients. We oppose this measure. Click here to see our factsheet.
Constitutional Right to Choose: In 1995, the Minnesota State Supreme Court found that the state constitution provides greater protection for a woman’s right to choose than the federal Constitution. This ruling meant that the state’s public health coverage for low-income women cannot selectively discriminate as to which pregnancy-related services it will pay for. If the state will pay for childbirth, it must also pay for abortion services.
NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota will continue to defend legislative attempts to challenge this ruling and restrict low-income women’s access to abortion. Click here to read our factsheet. |
