A controversial bill that would repeal protections for women and unborn children and expand legal immunity for abortions up until birth is currently being considered by Minnesota Democrats, according to a report from The Federalist.
The Protect Reproductive Options Act (PROA) would also repeal the current statute that prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortions and nullify the parental notification requirement for minors seeking abortions.
“Cattle and reptiles will have more legal protections in Minnesota than Minnesota’s vulnerable preborn children,” said general counsel at True North Legal Renee Carlson in a pre-vote statement to the Senate.
“Legal penalties for animal cruelty in Minnesota range from misdemeanor up to a felony while there is no criminal penalty for leaving a preborn child to die on a cold metal table,” Carlson added.
The bill, which is supported by Planned Parenthood, would also end protections for babies born alive following a botched abortion, lift prohibitions on taxpayer-funded abortions, and cancel protections for “viable” unborn babies.
It would also reverse the ban on abortions for unconscious women and halt reporting on women dying as a result of an abortion.
Legal experts cited by The Federalist say the bill goes “far beyond any interpretation of the Minnesota Supreme Court case Doe v. Gomez,” which is the state’s version of Roe v. Wade.
The legislation is expected to be voted on in the Minnesota House as soon as Thursday, and if passed by both chambers, it would head to the desk of Governor Tim Walz’s desk, who is expected to sign it into law immediately.
The proposed law means that “Minnesota Democrats are poised to ignore the at least 69 percent of Americans who say they want significant limits on abortion to pass the state’s most radical abortion bill, which would legalize taxpayer-funded on-demand abortion for all,” argues The Federalist’s Jordan Boyd, citing a new Knights of Columbus–Marist poll.
“Nearly 7 in 10 Americans believe abortion should be limited,” said Marist Poll Director Barbara L. Carvalho, who pointed out the findings “are comparable to the findings of a Knights of Columbus–Marist Poll conducted last January,” before the Roe v. Wade leak.
