Abortion

Abortion

Abortion is the human rights tragedy of our age and is unequivocally condemned by the Catholic Church. We must all work towards a society where no child is at risk of being murdered in the womb.

While bans and restrictions play an important role, building a culture of life means more than just making abortion illegal. Our ultimate goal should be to create a society where no woman ever feels like abortion is her only choice, where every child is welcomed in life and protected in law. In addition to working to limit abortion and stop Minnesota tax-payer funding for this horrific practice, we should also pass public policy that promotes family economic security and supports mothers who face challenging pregnancies.

What remains after the 2023 Legislative Session?

The 2023 legislative session posted many threats to life, and in the end, nearly all of the health and safety protections surrounding abortion were removed from law. This happened through the omnibus process and a series of bills (see below for our coverage and efforts that were posted throughout session). 

• Read our abortion landscape one-pager

The 2023 Pro-Abortion Omnibus Bill

Update: See the 2023 Abortion Landscape handout for the outcome of this legislation. 

The House version of the health finance omnibus bill came littered with the repeal of many commonsense health and safety protections surrounding abortion. Some examples include: Abortion reporting requirements, Women's Right to Know, Nearly all of the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, and more! Their bill also proposes to repeal the positive alternative grant funding and expand taxpayer funded abortion under MinnesotaCare. The majority of these provisions were included in H.F. 91/ S.F. 70, which was stalled mid-session. 

The Senate fortunately left these items OUT of their bill, though they included an expansive infertility coverage mandate. 

Resources:

• Letter of Testimony on Health Omnibus
• One Page Explainer on the conference committee process and provisions
• Video explaining the omnibus process and other pro-family legislation

The "How-To" Abortion Bill: H.F. 91 / S.F. 70

Update: This bill was stalled mid-session. Components of the bill were wrapped into various omnibus bills, and many of the provisions passed (see above). 

View the bill's language: House File 91 & Senate File 70

This expansive bill removes nearly all of the health and safety protections for women seeking an abortion, including for minors. These include parental notification, the physician's only law, the 24-hour waiting period, Women's Right to Know, and more. This bill would also expand tax-payer funded abortion and remove the abortion reporting requirement. Tragically, it also repeals the born alive infant act. 

While the PRO Act guaranteed a fundamental right to abortion through the moment of birth, this bill acts as the "how-to" -- removing all of the guardrails and expanding access. If we are going to have such a right to abortion in our state, this bill shows us how to get there.

It is a disservice and insult to Minnesotans, especially to those who are pro-life and do not want to comply with paying more in taxes to fund the abortion industry. 

Testimony in opposition:

• Opposition of the Catholic Health Association of MN and the Minnesota Catholic Conference to Section 10 of SF 70
• CHA MN and MCC Testimony in Opposition to H.F. 91
• Maggee Hangge testifies in opposition to H.F. 91 in House Public Safety Finance and Policy
• Maggee Hangge testifies in opposition to H.F. 91 in House Judiciary Finance and Policy

Protect Reproductive Options (PRO) Act (HF 1/SF 1)

Update: This bill passed and was signed into law about a month into session. 

View the bill's language: House File 1 & Senate File 1

Testimony in opposition to the PRO Act

• Letter from MN Catholic Bishops to all legislators in opposition to the PRO Act
• Bishop Chad Zielinski Testimony to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee in Opposition to PRO Act (SF 1)
• Testimony in Opposition to HF 1 (Kotyza-Witthuhn) (Reproductive health rights established) House Health Finance and Policy
• Written Testimony in Opposition to H.F. 1 in House Judiciary
• Written Testimony in Opposition to S.F. 1 in Senate Judiciary

MCC Press Release in response to the passage of the PRO Act in House

Handouts & Other Advocacy Resources

(updated as of February 2023)

• Read our Pro-life one pager

Other Advocacy Opportunities:

Learn about the efforts of Mothers Offering Maternal Support (MOMS)

This group of mothers is worked to defend “common-sense” and “bipartisan” abortion restrictions in Minnesota. Learn more about the efforts here. Learn about the outcome of their efforts here.

Choose Life License Plates

In 2000, the first license plate with a Choose Life message was offered to residents of Florida. Today, 33 states and the District of Columbia offer Choose Life license plates. But not Minnesota. Catholic Advocacy Network Member, JoAnn Marshall is trying to change that. " Read more here.

You can help advocate on this issue by taking a quick one-question survey: Choose Life License Plate Survey

If you are interested in helping further the efforts to have a "Choose Life" license plate in Minnesota, you can visit chooselifeminnesota.org.

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