On January 28, in the early hours of Saturday morning and after 16 hours of debate, Senate Democrats passed the nation’s most extreme abortion bill. This was their first bill of the Session, marking it as their number one priority… A bill that devalues the miracle of life. This bill’s passage has weighed heavy on my heart, and people in Minnesota deserve to know what was in it.

This bill was one page long—that was all the Democrats allocated to such a sensitive subject. It expanded abortion and reproductive rights but did little to define either. Democrats claimed this bill was simply meant to codify Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Gomez, but that’s simply not the case. In fact, this bill goes far beyond the scope of both of those court cases. The legislation Democrats passed allows abortions up to birth and allows minors to have access to “reproductive care” that involves abortions, sterilizations, and sex change procedures—all without parental consent. That is far beyond Roe and Doe. In fact, most pro-choice Minnesotans are fine with safeguards that protect against these radical measures the Democrats have decided to champion. Unfortunately, Democrats proved that they don’t care, and will only work to serve their own extreme agenda.

Our debate went from Friday morning into the early hours Saturday morning because Republicans were committed to fighting for the unborn. We offered a number of amendments in an effort to bring the bill back from the cliff’s edge: a ban on third trimester abortions, a requirement for abortion facilities to be licensed, required parental consent, a ban on the violent dilation and extraction (partial birth) abortions, and a ban on sterilization for minors. At a certain point during these amendments, Democrats stopped engaging—they were unwilling to discuss the thoughtful amendments we brought forward, and at times were even unwilling to yield for questions. That speaks volumes about how little they care for babies. It was said repeatedly by the left during our debate, “Abortions are safe!” But who are they safe for? Every abortion results in a death and no one wins. We used to hold our children up and would give our lives for our children. Now it seems like we expect children to give their lives for us. As legislators, we are elected to represent our districts, and to also speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, but this bill ensures their voices are snatched before they even take their first breath.    

It was not surprising that this came down to a party-line vote—showing where each party’s priorities truly lie. The fact is that abortion rights would not have disappeared if this specific bill didn’t pass—it would have continued to be a legal procedure in Minnesota. But with what this extreme bill included, abortion now has no limits, and it is far worse—there are no viability limits, minors can get sterilized, abortion clinics do not need to be licensed, and abortions are legal until birth for any reason. Minnesota will live with the consequences of this bill for years to come.