 (House Photography file photo)
Abortion is legal in Minnesota but not necessarily so in neighboring states.
To ensure access, preserve patient privacy and block other states’ laws from affecting health care within Minnesota’s borders, Rep. Esther Agbaje (DFL-Mpls) sponsors HF366.
The so-called “Reproductive Freedom Defense Act” intends to protect patients and providers from legal or disciplinary action for acts involving reproductive health care.
Via a 68-62 vote, the House passed the bill Monday afternoon. It now moves to the Senate.
“We are in unprecedented legal territory regarding reproductive health care since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and with it, decades of legal precedent that had declared a constitutional right to abortion,” Agbaje said.
Laws have been introduced or passed in other states — such as Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri and Alabama — that would allow them to reach into places like Minnesota where abortion is legal to prosecute doctors and patients, she said.
“Providers now have to be concerned about the type of health care they provide and whether they will be prosecuted for giving patients the reproductive health care that they need,” she said. Read more
WATCH ▶️ House passes HF366 during Monday's floor session
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