ST, PAUL – The Minnesota House of Representatives has approved two pro-life measures that would prohibit taxpayer funding of abortions and protect women by requiring licensing and inspection of abortion facilities. State Representative Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska) voted in favor of the proposals.
“Ensuring women’s health and keeping tax dollars from being used on abortions should not be controversial topics,” Torkelson said. “These were easy ‘yes’ votes for me.”
The first bill prohibits funding for abortions from state-sponsored health programs that are administered by the Department of Human Services.
“Minnesota has been providing some funding for abortions, and we believe that is not the proper role of state government to fund that sort of activity,” Torkelson said. “This legislation would restrict state participation in the funding of abortions all across the state.”
The second bill requires any clinic that performs ten or more abortions each month to be licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health, and those facilities must comply with all inspections.
“We require licenses in this state from everything to a barber shop to a farm that applies pesticides,” Torkelson said. “It’s absolutely appropriate and reasonable to protect the safety of those women who are using these facilities to ensure they are inspected and licensed.”
The proposals now head to the Minnesota Senate for continued debate.