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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Josh Heintzeman (R)

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RELEASE: Heintzeman Statement in Opposition to House Democrats’ Extreme Abortion Bill

Thursday, January 19, 2023

ST. PAUL, MN – On January 19, Minnesota House Democrats approved radical abortion language that would allow abortions until the child’s birth. State Representative Josh Heintzeman, R-Nisswa, voted no on the bill, which passed solely with Democrat support.

“The passage of today's bill means that Minnesota’s abortion policy will soon be on par with countries like North Korea and China,” said Heintzeman. “This extreme legislation is out of touch with the vast majority of Minnesotans and directly threatens the health and safety of not only the unborn, but also women. As a pro-life legislator, I have always focused my efforts on promoting bills that support women and protect the unborn. This bill does the exact opposite and instead makes our state an outlier not only in the United States, but also globally.”

Heintzeman said the bill makes abortion, already legal in Minnesota under the court case Doe v. Gomez, available at any time during a pregnancy without guardrails, which would make our state an outlier in the United States and globally.

Heintzeman also noted that the bill does not require abortion facilities to be licensed by the State of Minnesota nor require second or third term abortions to take place in a hospital, despite the obvious medical risks.

Numerous attempts were made to amend the legislation to show compassion to mothers and the unborn. The proposed changes included requiring 2nd and 3rd-trimester abortions to be performed in a hospital, banning partial-birth abortions, and banning abortions in the 3rd trimester, with the exceptions of rape, incest, and saving the life of the mother. House Democrats, who are the majority party in the Minnesota House, voted all of them down.

The bill now heads to the Minnesota Senate.

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