Members of the Republican leadership in the Minnesota Senate have introduced legislation to ban state funding for abortions, just weeks after saying that creating jobs and fixing the budget deficit would be the party’s top priorities. The bill was offered on the eve of Minnesota Citizens Concerned For Life’s (MCCL) March for Life at the State Capitol grounds.
Reproductive rights groups chastised Gov. Tim Pawlenty Monday for refusing federal money for comprehensive sex education in exchange for abstinence-education funds that will cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars. Advocates say Pawlenty’s decision to opt for the more expensive — and controversial — program arises from his presidential ambitions and not the best interests of the state.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty has dubbed April “Abortion Recovery Month,” a designation that has rankled reproductive rights organizations. The proclamation supports Minnesota’s “abortion recovery programs” that “reinforce a culture of life and hope.” Pawlenty’s proclamation, which is similar to one by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, praises exclusively church-based programs.
Twenty-one-year-old Lila Rose is a superstar of the anti-abortion right, rubbing shoulders with conservatives like Gov. Tim Pawlenty and speaking at national events like last week’s Values Voter Summit. But her tactics — secretly videotaping visits to Planned Parenthood offices and presenting edited footage without context online — raise serious questions about journalistic ethics.
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