On Saturday morning, after over 16 hours of debate on the topic, Senate Democrats passed extreme abortion legislation that protects “abortion” and “reproductive rights” with no safeguards or limitations. The bill is just over one page long and goes far beyond the scope of Roe v. Wade and other western democracies by eliminating any viability standard.

Senator Michael Kreun (R-Blaine) released the following statement in response:

“With the passage of this abortion legislation, Minnesota will now have the most extreme abortion law in the country with no restrictions or regulations up until the moment of birth. Minnesotans expect legislators to come together in a bipartisan way to address these sensitive topics. Senate Republicans put forward several commonsense safeguards to protect women and children that the vast majority of Minnesotans expect, but the Senate Democrats struck down every amendment offered. I’m saddened by the outcome—our state deserves better.”

Senate Republicans offered a number of critical amendments—all of which were struck down on party-line votes, and many of which were not deemed worthy of discussion by the majority party. Key amendments that were offered include:

• Restrictions on third trimester abortions
• Prohibiting partial birth abortions 
• Requiring parental consent for abortions or sterilizations of minors
• Prohibiting elective abortions due to down syndrome
• Prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortions