Minnesota lawmakers considering abortion rights into Minnesota constitution

Published: May 13, 2024 Duration: 00:02:51 Category: News & Politics

Trending searches: minnesota abortion laws
TOMORROW. KELSEY. ALL RIGHT. THANKS, BISI. WITH JUST ONE WEEK LEFT IN MINNESOTA'S LEGISLATIVE SESSION, LAWMAKERS WORKING DOWN TO THE WIRE TO PUSH THROUGH SOME OF THOSE LAST MINUTE BILLS. AND THAT INCLUDES AN EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT THAT WOULD PUT ABORTION PROTECTIONS IN THE STATE CONSTITUTION. OUR CORINNE HAGER JOINING US LIVE FROM THE CAPITOL NOW. SO, CORINNE, THIS IS SETTING UP AN ELECTION WHERE MINNESOTA VOTERS COULD BE ONE OF THE FIRST TO VOTE ON ABORTION RIGHTS. YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT. ABORTION OPPONENTS SAY VOTERS WON'T UNDERSTAND THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY VOTING TO ALLOW WOMEN TO HAVE ABORTIONS AT ANY POINT DURING THEIR PREGNANCY, BUT SUPPORTERS SAY THEY'RE NOT TRYING TO HIDE THAT BECAUSE THE VOTERS ACTUALLY SUPPORT IT. MINNESOTA DEMOCRATS CLEARED ANY HURDLES TO ABORTION IN 2023. A YEAR LATER, THEY'RE TRYING TO MAKE THE HURDLES HARDER TO REINSERT. THAT IS WHAT WE'RE HERE TO DO TODAY, TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE PROTECTIONS CAN NEVER BE TAKEN AWAY, NO MATTER WHO IS IN CHARGE. THE RIGHT TO MAKE PREGNANCY DECISIONS IS A PIECE OF A PROPOSED EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION. ABORTION OPPONENTS CALL IT DECEPTIVE. THIS BILL CLOAKS ABORTION UP TO BIRTH UNDER THE GUISE OF PREGNANCY, PERMANENTLY ENSHRINING UNLIMITED ABORTION IN OUR CONSTITUTION THROUGH TRICKERY, THE BALLOT LANGUAGE WOULD ASK IF EVERYONE SHOULD BE GUARANTEED EQUAL RIGHTS AND SHALL NOT BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST ON ACCOUNT OF RACE, COLOR, NATIONAL ORIGIN AND DISABILITY OR SEX, INCLUDING PREGNANCY. DEMOCRATS SAY THE BALLOT QUESTION CAN'T FIT EVERYTHING, BUT THEY DOUBT VOTERS WILL BE CONFUSED. THEY DID NOT INCLUDE RELIGION AMONG THE PROTECTIONS, BUT SAY IT'S ALREADY PROTECTED IN THE STATE CONSTITUTION. THEY POINT OUT ABORTIONS LATER IN PREGNANCY ARE ALMOST ALWAYS BECAUSE OF EXTRAORDINARY HEALTH RISKS, AND THEIR EXTREME RARE. THE MINNESOTA ERA ALSO WOULD NOT FORCE DOCTORS AT PRIVATE HOSPITALS TO PERFORM ABORTIONS TO WHICH THEY MORALLY OBJECT. THE ERA APPLIES TO STATE ACTORS. IT APPLIES TO THE GOVERNMENT, AND SO IT WOULD NOT IMPACT A PRIVATE ENTITY. THE HOUSE SHOULD VOTE ON THIS BILL LATER TONIGHT. THE SENATE WOULD THEN TAKE IT UP LATER IN THE WEEK. IF IT PASSES, VOTERS WILL MAKE THE FINAL DECISION IN 2026, WHICH COULD MAKE MINNESOTA THE SECOND STATE TO PASS AN ERA LIKE THIS. NEW YORK VOTERS GET TO CAST THEIR BALLOTS LATER THIS YEAR. LIVE AT THE CAPITOL CORINNE HOCKERT, FOX NINE. ALL RIGHT, CORINNE, ALSO HAPPENING IN THE HOUSE TONIGHT, A DECISION ON RANKED CHOICE VOTING. IF THIS IS PASSED, RANKED CHOICE VOTING COULD HAPPEN IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS MINNESOTA AS SOON AS NEXT YEAR. NOW RANKED CHOICE LETS VOTERS RANK CANDIDATES IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE. IF NOBODY GETS THE MAJORITY IN THE ELECTION, THE LAST PLACE CANDIDATE IS ELIMINATED. VOTERS SECOND PICK IS ASSIGNED TO THE REMAINING CANDIDATES. MINNEAPOL

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