In Minnesota, the most common reason women cite for having an abortion is not wanting a child at this time or economic reasons. Most abortions occur among women who haven’t used contraception. 43% of women receiving an abortion last year qualified for Medical Assistance due to low incomes. More than 40% of women who had abortions last year had previously had one. Abortions in Minnesota represent around 1% of abortions nationally.
Minnesota abortion laws are much less restrictive than other states. For the most part, the restrictions we do have were proposed and signed into law by Governor Tim Pawlenty.
In 2003, Pawlenty proposed and signed the Women’s Right to Know Act which requires physicians to provide women with information on abortion alternatives at least 24 hours before the procedure. This includes a list of adoption centers, detailed information about fetal development, and risks associated with abortion. During the first full year, 15,859 women were given the information, and 13,788 went through with the abortion.
In 2005, Pawlenty proposed and signed the Unborn Child Pain Prevention Act, which made Minnesota the first state to mandate that women considering an abortion receive information about fetal pain. Currently, there is no legitimate scientific information that confirms that a fetus feels pain. Yet, this law requires that women be offered pain-reducing medication for their fetus and women have to sign a form either requesting or denying the medication.
In 2006, Pawlenty proposed and signed the Positive Alternatives to Abortion Act, which provides funds to non-profits which provide pregnancy, parenting, and family support activities and services. The Minnesota Department of Health notes that abortions have declined since the first year of the program.
Another factor to consider when considering reproductive rights, is women’s health. Maternal deaths are increasing across the country. According the World Health Organization, the United States is the only developed country where maternal deaths are on the rise. Unsafe abortions are one of the three leading causes of maternal mortality.
In 2011, Texas slashed family planning funding by 66%. As a result, 82 family planning clinics closed, ⅓ of which were Planned Parenthood clinics (which offer a myriad of health care options including safe, legal abortion), cutting the number of women the state could serve in half. Low income women were especially at a loss to affordable birth control and had more babies. And alarmingly, pregnancy-related deaths nearly doubled, with 72 in 2010 and 148 in 2012.
Criminalizing abortion and anti-abortion laws don’t reduce the number of abortions. According to a study published in May of 2016, “In countries where abortion is completely illegal or permitted only to save the life of the pregnant woman, the most recent data places the average annual abortion rate at 37 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. In countries where abortion is legal in most cases, the rate is 34 per 1,000 women.” Latin America has some of the most intensive anti-abortion laws in the world and the highest abortion rate at 32%.
Contraception and sex education do prevent abortion. In Eastern Europe, abortion rates have fallen from 88 out of 1,000 women to 42 out of 1,000 women over the past 25 years due to a rise in contraception popularity and accessibility. Colorado began offering free birth control to anyone who wanted it in 2009, and over the first 5 years of the program, saw unintended pregnancies drop by 40% and abortion fall by 42%. It also reduced teen pregnancies. The fact that contraception decreases abortion rates has been proven time after time after time.
Additionally, policies that make healthcare and childcare more affordable, contraception more accessible, and policies that support a living wage and a reduction in poverty reduce the number of abortions. Recall the 43% of Minnesota women having abortions last year qualified for Medical Assistance due to low incomes.
Here is where the candidates stand of reproductive rights:
Jeff Johnson (R): Candidate Johnson says there is no more important issue than protecting innocent life. He says it is a moral issue. Additionally, he cites recent breakthroughs in science and technology that have made it clear that we must protect the life of the unborn. He is pro-life and believes in the sanctity of human life from conception until natural death.
Erin Murphy (D): Candidate Murphy will pursue reproductive justice for women of color, trans folk, and women living in low-wealth and rural communities, ensuring that where there is choice, there is also access to contraception, women’s health clinics, and abortion services. She has authored a contraception equity bill that would require Minnesota health plans to provide prescription drug coverage to cover contraception without charging a copay.
Tim Pawlenty (R): Candidate Pawlenty was called the most pro-life candidate in the 2012 presidential race by the National Review, a conservative magazine. As governor of Minnesota, he proposed and signed into law the Women’s Right to Know Act, the Positive Alternatives to Abortion Act, and the Unborn Child Pain Prevention Act. He says that the only exception he can really reconcile or justify is the life of the mother.
Tim Walz (D): Candidate Walz will stand with organizations that support women’s health. He believes in a woman’s right to choose and has a 100% voting record with Planned Parenthood.
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