Minnesota Independent

Anti-abortion rights bills advance in Minnesota Legislature

By Andy Birkey | 03.17.11 | 1:46 pm

After two days of testimony, a pair of anti-abortion rights bills passed key committees in the Minnesota House this week, one to ban abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy and another to ban taxpayer funding for abortions. Religious leaders came down on both sides of the issue, while legal and medical experts said the bills were poor policy. In the Senate, yet another bill to ban abortion at 20 weeks was introduced on Thursday bringing the total bills in the legislature to curtail abortion rights to nine so far this session.

Republicans introduce two more bills to ban abortions at 20 weeks

By Andy Birkey | 03.10.11 | 3:36 pm

Minnesota Republicans introduced two more bills on Thursday to ban abortions “at or after 20 weeks gestational age,” bringing the total number of bills banning various aspects of abortion to eight. Four would eliminate state funding for abortion services,…

Legislators seek to make embryonic stem cell research a felony

By Andy Birkey | 03.10.11 | 8:30 am

Several Minnesota Democrats joined with 31 Republicans in offering a bill Wednesday that would ban embryonic stem cell research in the state under the guise of banning “human cloning.” The Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2011 would make somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), a component of creating embryonic stem cell lines, illegal and would impose a felony charge on scientists who conduct such research. Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, the main proponent of the bill, has stated that creating stem cell lines is akin to killing a human being.

Republicans introduce bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy

By Andy Birkey | 03.07.11 | 2:55 pm

Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature introduced a bill Monday that would ban abortion in Minnesota after the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act states that fetuses can feel pain after the first 20 weeks and creates a revenue stream for the state to defend the measure against lawsuits if it passes. It’s the fifth bill to restrict abortions in Minnesota offered by Republicans this legislative session, which began in early January. If the bill becomes law it would be one of the most restrictive in the nation.

Bachmann voted for government shutdown because of abortion

By Andy Birkey | 03.02.11 | 12:48 pm

“There is a point where you draw the line in the sand and you have a hill where you die on,” Rep. Michele Bachmann said in a Tuesday evening webinar with anti-abortion rights activists. “I think this is our issue.” The issue — and Bachmann’s rationale for voting against a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown — is that the resolution didn’t include provisions to defund Planned Parenthood and what she calls “Obamacare.”

Rep. Betty McCollum. Photo: Andy Birkey, Minnesota Independent

McCollum blasts GOP plan to defund women’s health services

By Andy Birkey | 02.24.11 | 2:46 pm

“Dumb.” That’s how Rep. Betty McCollum characterized proposed cuts to federal family planning funding and a Republican effort to defund Planned Parenthood. At a St. Paul Planned Parenthood clinic Thursday, she also noted that Republicans refused to cut Pentagon funding for NASCAR, but remain adamant about cuts she says could have devastating effects for Minnesota women and children.

Daily Show dings Bachmann on statement about Planned Parenthood

By Andy Birkey | 02.23.11 | 12:31 pm

The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart took on Republicans who are attempting to defund Planned Parenthood, and as an example he used Rep. Michele Bachmann. Bachmann condemned Planned Parenthood’s “express centers” in Minnesota saying that they offer abortion. According to Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, they don’t.

Minnesota Capitol. Photo: Paul Weimer, Flickr

Dems answer GOP’s four anti-abortion bills with Reproductive Privacy Act

By Andy Birkey | 02.23.11 | 10:00 am

Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature have offered four identical bills so far this session to ban state funds from going to abortion services. The DFL answered back with a bill of its own on Monday. The Reproductive Privacy Act would ensure that rights to birth control, legal abortion and the choice of carrying a pregnancy to term are protected.

House votes to block Planned Parenthood funding

By Sofia Resnick | 02.18.11 | 1:25 pm

The House voted Friday to block federal funding to Planned Parenthood — a move Rep. Michele Bachmann has repeatedly advocated for — passing the measure by a margin of 240 to 185. The amendment has been added to the Continuing Resolution (H.R. 1) to fund the federal government through September. If the resolution goes into law, the 95-year-old health care provider will lose funding from the federal government, all of which goes to family planning and reproductive services under Title X, and none of which goes to funding abortions.

GOP abortion plans could lead to more teen pregnancies, abortions in Minnesota

By Andy Birkey | 02.17.11 | 1:40 pm

Congressional Republicans are set to vote on a trio of bills intended to prevent health care clinics that perform abortions from receiving federal funds, and leadership has offered a budget that slashes the Title X program, which funds contraception and reproductive health services. A study by the Guttmacher Institute released on Wednesday shows that those cuts would be devastating to low-income women in Minnesota. Without this funding, Minnesota would’ve seen 33 percent more teenage pregnancies — and a spike in the number of abortions.