Minnesota Independent

"Progress of the State" sculpture on the Minnesota Capitol dome. Photo: Michael Hicks, Flickr

MCCL continues pressure to force stem cell research ban in budget talks

By Andy Birkey | 07.19.11 | 11:13 am

On Monday, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, the state’s largest anti-abortion lobby, stepped up its efforts to get a bans on abortion and funding for certain types of stem cell research included in budget negotiations aimed at ending the state shutdown. In an email alert to supporters, the group claimed that taxpayers “will be forced to pay for cloning” and urged members to contact legislators.

Catholic church pushes for ban on stem cell research funding in shutdown deal

By Andy Birkey | 07.18.11 | 2:27 pm

The policy wing of the Roman Catholic Church in Minnesota is asking its members to urge Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican leaders to include a ban on somatic cell nuclear transfer — which it inaccurately calls “human cloning” — in the budget deal that could end the ongoing government shutdown. No state-funded entities in Minnesota have conducted the research.

The Minnesota State Capitol. Photo: Kathy Easthagen for the Minnesota Independent

Abortion politics threaten to again derail budget agreement

By Andy Birkey | 07.18.11 | 7:30 am

A budget agreement being hammered out by Gov. Mark Dayton and Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature aimed at ending a state government shutdown came under fire from the state’s largest anti-abortion group over the weekend. Dayton and Republicans made an agreement late last week to resolve Minnesota’s budget impasse, in part by avoiding controversial social issues such as abortion and focusing on fiscal matters. A representative for Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life told reporters that he now questions the pro-life credentials of GOP leaders and told Republican legislators to vote no on any budget agreement that does not ban abortion.

Did abortion politics derail budget talks, lead to shutdown?

By Andy Birkey | 07.01.11 | 4:32 pm

Debate continued on Friday over what killed the budget talks between Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican leadership. Certainly, a no-taxes pledge by the Republican majority in the Minnesota Legislature and Dayton’s insistence that new revenues be raised by wealthy Minnesotans played a significant part, but social issues — especially abortion — seem to have played a part in the stalemate as well.

Minnesota Capitol. Photo: Paul Weimer, Flickr

GOP pressed for abortion, stem cell research bans during budget negotiations

By Andy Birkey | 07.01.11 | 10:35 am

During budget negotiations the week before Friday’s government shutdown, Republican leaders pressed Gov. Mark Dayton to include a ban on abortions at 20 weeks gestation, a ban on taxpayer-funded abortions and a ban on some forms of stem cell research. Even as the shutdown of Minnesota government had begun, the principal anti-abortion lobby, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, continued to push its agenda.

Citing lack of compromise, Dayton vetoes GOP budget bills

By Andy Birkey | 05.24.11 | 1:45 pm

As expected, Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed all budget bills Tuesday that were submitted by the Republicans. His message to the GOP: “Compromise.” Dayton also hit Republicans for including divisive social issues in their budgets.

Coalition of 70 groups urge Dayton to veto stem cell ban

By Andy Birkey | 04.01.11 | 2:39 pm

The Stem Cell Action Coalition issued an “urgent appeal” to Gov. Mark Dayton Friday urging him to veto two provisions in Republican budget bills that would ban somatic cell nuclear transfer, a component of embryonic stem cell research. The coalition of more than 70 local, national and international groups said that efforts to curtail stem cell research are being “stampeded” through the Minnesota Legislature “without any scientific basis.” Currently, anti-abortion rights activists have offered a state and federal ban on funding for SCNT in a higher education budget bill and offered a provision in the health and human services budget bill to make SCNT a crime in the state.

Debate over ‘human cloning’ stem cell research ban heats up as veto looms

By Andy Birkey | 04.01.11 | 9:30 am

Proposed bans on somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), a technique used in some forms of stem cell research, continue to wind their way through the legislative process as the debate over the provision has spread to the pages of newspapers statewide, mostly in opposition to the ban. Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) has vociferously defended the ban and has attacked reporters it says have not gotten the facts right.

Ban on tax-funded stem cell research passes Senate, House

By Andy Birkey | 03.30.11 | 12:14 pm

A ban on somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), a technique used in some forms of stem cell research, passed the House and Senate floors on Tuesday evening in a pair of higher education budget bills. The bills would prohibit state or federal funding from going toward SCNT stem cell research. The two bills are headed to conference committee, where the two bodies will hash out the parts of the bills that differ. Gov. Mark Dayton indicated in a letter to legislators that he would veto a bill that contained the stem cell bans, citing them as policy issues that don’t belong in budget bills.

Watered down stem cell ban added to higher ed omnibus bill

By Andy Birkey | 03.25.11 | 1:58 pm

The Senate Higher Education Committee on Wednesday adopted an amendment by Sen. Michelle Fischbach, R-Paynesville, that would prohibit state or federal money from going to somatic cell nuclear transfer, a type of embryonic stem cell research, in Minnesota. A broader bill, which would criminalize that type of stem cell research, awaits a vote on the Senate floor. The full omnibus bill passed out of key committees on Thursday and has moved to the Senate floor for a full vote.