Minnesota Pro-Life Group Condemns Anniversary of Pro-Abortion Doe Ruling

From http://lifenews.com/state3707.html


Minnesota Pro-Life Group Condemns Anniversary of Pro-Abortion Doe Ruling

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
December 15, 2008

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Minneapolis, MN (LifeNews.com) -- Minnesota is one of the few sates that requires taxpayers to fund abortions in all situations. The pro-life group Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life is disappointed that the state court ruling allowing it marks its thirteenth anniversary today and has resulted in the death of 43,000 unborn babies.

On December 15, 1995, the Minnesota Supreme Court handed down the Doe v. Gomez ruling that MCCL says "established the most extreme abortion-on-demand decision in the nation."

“The Doe v. Gomez ruling by a handful of extremist judges has been disastrous for Minnesota women and their babies,” Scott Fischbach, MCCL's director, told LifeNews.com.

“On this 13th anniversary of the decision, Minnesotans do not believe it is the mission of the state to abort thousands of innocent unborn children each year, yet that is exactly what is happening under this radical ruling," he added.

The Doe decision established a constitutional “right” to abortion on demand that will stay in place even if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade someday and allows states to once again prohibit abortions.

Doe v. Gomez allows abortions for reasons such as “stress” or “discomfort" and forbids the state to “interfere” in any way with a woman’s “decision-making” about abortion.

Fischbach says figures from the state health department show, from June 1994 through 2006, state taxpayers paid more than $12.5 million for 43,201 abortions.

In 2006 alone, state taxpayers paid $1.65 million for 3,937 abortions.
The data shows that was a 7 percent increase over the prior year and the number is projected to reach $2 million in 2008.

Though the total number of abortions in the state is declining slightly, taxpayer funding of abortions is on the rise. Minnesota taxpayers now pay for 28 percent of all abortions performed in the state.

“This is not the will of the majority of Minnesotans, who oppose abortion on demand, and it is not the function of state government to fund the destruction of its most powerless innocent citizens,” Fischbach said.

He concluded: “The Court took away the people’s right to decide whether they want abortion on demand in the state and whether they should be required to pay for others’ elective abortions. It’s time for change in Minnesota.”

MCCL hopes to overturn the decision someday and pro-life Gov. Tim Pawlenty has already replaced one of the pro-Doe members of the high court with someone who may vote to overturn it.

Related web sites:
Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life - http://www.mccl.org