On Wednesday, the St. Paul City Council waded into a national debate over abortion access by approving a resolution on a 7-0 vote to recognize March 10 as Abortion Providers Appreciation Day in St. Paul.

“I am saddened by the St. Paul City Council’s vote to approve Abortion Providers Appreciation Day and disturbed by the insensitive nature of their resolution,” said Senator Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks). “Movements like this are indicative of the moral decline occurring in Minnesota and across our country.  As a father of three, I understand the sanctity of life and the joy that children bring to this world.  Instead of celebrating abortion providers and their destructive habits, let’s take a moment to celebrate life and our local organizations who are on the front lines protecting women’s and children’s health.”

Senator Johnson supports the thousands of Minnesotans who traveled to the Capitol in February for the 2020 March for Life to mourn the injustice of abortion and to call for the protection of unborn children and support for their mothers. The annual event marks the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions, which struck down laws protecting unborn children nationwide.

Since the Supreme Court’s rulings, more than 60 million human beings have been legally killed through abortion in the United States, including about 650,000 in Minnesota. While the number of abortions has declined in recent years, 9,910 unborn Minnesota children lost their lives in 2018 alone, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.