Today, the Minnesota House Judiciary Committee voted to send HF3749 to the House floor by party line vote. This is a bill that targets sidewalk counselors who work outside abortion clinics to help women access compassionate alternatives to abortion.
Because it’s already illegal under Minnesota and federal law to obstruct the entrance of a clinic, this bill is targeting people who are exercising their free speech rights, not getting in the way.
This bill was sponsored by Rep. Heather Edelson (DFL-Edina) and supported by Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America. Minnesota Family Council and Pro-Life Action Ministries submitted testimony against the bill, and we will keep fighting until women and babies are safe from the scourge of abortion in our state.
This dangerous bill could be a worrying sign of things to come. If pro-abortion legislators win a majority in the Minnesota Senate in November, they will immediately get to work on taking away the rights of people and organizations who are working to give women better options than abortion.
This is work that literally saves the lives of children, and it is fully legal. Let’s work to keep it that way.
