The Protect Reproductive Options (PRO) Act passed by a vote of 34-33 in Minnesota’s state Senate, Passed by a Democrat majority, the PRO makes it more difficult for judges in the future to erode pro-abortion legislation, no matter how extreme it may be, creating another obstacle for pro-life advocates to crack down on pro-abortion legislation in the future. Republicans attempted to amend the bill a total of 35 times, however, these efforts were unsuccessful and Democrats passed the unamended legislation.
The bill was opposed by the state’s pro-life groups and many faith leaders in the state. The PRO Act has been met with a lot of criticism from social conservatives as well as pro-life advocates and people who are religious, who feel that it will limit their ability to influence state policies on abortion.
While the bill does not affect abortion procedures in the present or the near future, the bill seeks to assure that Minnesoat’s far-left abortion legislation sticks around throughout the foreseeable future. Currently, Minnesota’s legislation dictates that abortion procedures are legal until “viability,” meaning that on average, a fetus can be aborted at roughly six months old.
Legislation surrounding “viability” doesn’t dictate that a healthy fetus must be allowed to mature into a baby, rather, at six months most fetuses can survive outside of the womb through incubation – so even a week before an otherwise healthy baby can be brought into the world, it’s legal to be killed under Minnesota’s current legislation.
The bill’s next stop will be Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s desk, where he has already pledged his support for the bill, and stated that will intends to sign the bill dubbed the “most extreme” abortion legislation in the country into law.
