ST. PAUL, MN – On January 19th, Minnesota House Democrats voted to approve House File 1, a bill with radical and extreme language that would allow abortion up until the moment of birth with zero guardrails or protections for the unborn and women. State Representative Paul Novotny, R-Elk River, voted no on the bill.
"The communities and families I represent know exactly where I stand on the issue of abortion,” said Novotny. “This bill endangers women and babies and makes Minnesota a ‘leader’ in abortion, not something I thought our state would ever want to ‘lead’ on. The bill's language would align Minnesota's abortion policy with that of China and North Korea. Put simply, this bill is not reflective of the values of Minnesota."
Novotny said the bill makes abortion, already legal in Minnesota under Doe v. Gomez, available at any time during a pregnancy, including partial birth abortions, without guardrails, which would make our state an outlier in the United States and western world. The legislation does not require abortion facilities to be licensed by the State of Minnesota, meaning there is no oversight of these procedures.
The bill would also allow a minor to obtain “reproductive health care” which specifically includes irreversible procedures like sterilization without parental notification or consultation.
Numerous attempts were made to amend the legislation to show compassion to mothers and the unborn. The proposed changes included requiring second and third-trimester abortions to be performed in a hospital, banning partial-birth abortions, and banning abortions in the 3rd trimester, with the exceptions of rape, incest, and saving the mother's life. House Democrats, the majority party, voted down all of the proposed amendments.
"It breaks my heart that this is the top priority of the DFL." Novotny continued, "I am at a loss for words for what it means for women and babies in this state if this legislation becomes law."
The bill passed with no republican votes and now heads to the Minnesota Senate.
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