Minnesota passes sweeping abortion bill dubbed 'extreme' by GOP lawmaker
Minnesota State Sen. Julia Coleman argues the new bill, which guarantees the right to an abortion, is the most extreme abortion legislation in the country.
A Minnesota Republican state senator is taking a firm stance against a sweeping abortion bill passed by her colleagues, which opponents argue is the "most extreme" abortion legislation in America.
The Protect Reproductive Options (PRO) Act passed the Minnesota Senate 34-33 Saturday after Republicans had unsuccessfully tried to amend the bill 35 times. The bill states that "every individual has a fundamental right to make autonomous decisions about the individual’s own reproductive health."
State Sen. Julia Coleman called the bill "abhorrent" on "Fox & Friends" Monday as it heads to Democratic Gov. Tim Walz's desk to be signed into law.
MINNESOTA SENATE PASSES ABORTION BILL OPPONENTS CALL 'MOST EXTREME' IN NATION
Abortion protesters on both sides pack the halls outside the Minnesota Senate chamber on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski) (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
"This bill not only allows for abortions for any reason through all nine months of pregnancy, but what it does to strip away parental rights is abhorrent," Coleman said. "It not only allows this for minors, but it also allows for minors’ sterilization without parental consent or notification."
Coleman said every attempt Republicans made to make the bill more moderate failed, including a 21-week abortion cutoff, notifying parents of a minor’s abortion, or prohibiting abortion solely because of the fetus’ gender or disability.
"We even had amendments saying that if you are going to seek a late-term abortion, it must be done in a hospital for the safety of the woman. They shot that down, too," she told host Ainsley Earhardt.
"It's not only extreme, but now it's dangerous."
Democrats had fast-tracked the legislation in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last summer to overturn Roe v. Wade – ending federal protections for abortion. While the right to abortion was previously guaranteed in a 1995 decision by the Minnesota Supreme Court, Doe v. Gomez, abortion rights activists and Democrats said the PRO act was necessary to codify abortion rights into state law, as well as rights to contraception, fertility treatment, and pregnancy.
Abortion protesters on both sides pack the halls outside the Minnesota Senate chamber on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski) (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
Coleman said her own pro-life ideals were solidified with the premature birth of her twin sons. She said she was advised to abort one in order to save the other, but at 33 weeks, she delivered two healthy boys.
Coleman hopes her story can inspire hope in other mothers who may find themselves in similar situations, and she encouraged them to choose life.
"I saw firsthand how at 33 weeks, how they responded to something as small as a blood draw or a needle poke," she said.
"But this bill is inflicting unimaginable pain, far worse than a needle poke, to babies at that stage of development. It's barbaric and future generations will look back at what this legislature did in horror."
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"It is a dark and sad day for Minnesota."
Fox News' Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
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