January 30, 2023

Minnesota Passes Bill Legalizing Abortion Until Birth with No Restrictions

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D)
On Jan 28, the Minnesota state senate passed the Protective Reproductive Options (PRO) Act. This would codify a right to abortion until birth with no restrictions. The bill had already passed the House, and Gov. Tim Walz has publicly declared his intention to sign it into law.

Abortion is already considered a right through the 1995 court decision Doe v. Gomez. The passage of this law cements the legal protection of abortion in Minnesota. If Doe v. Gomez were overturned, a legal framework for abortion would still exist.

The Minnesota senate voted 34-33 along party lines to pass the bill. The previous week, the Minnesota House passed it by a vote of 69-65.

Like Illinois, Minnesota would allow abortion at all stages of pregnancy, and it would do so without any parental notification requirements.