“Make no mistake, abortion is on the ballot this November in Minnesota and across America,” DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin said.
Abortion would remain legal in Minnesota, at least for now, even if the U.S. Supreme Court votes to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and allow states to outlaw the procedure. Many conservative states would likely outlaw abortions if the court ratifies that decision. But not Minnesota. “Not on my watch,” Gov. Tim Walz wrote in a Tweet when the Politico story broke. But abortion, already a hot issue, almost certainly would become an even hotter one in campaigns across the state this fall. “All the leading Republican candidates for governor have pledged to ban abortion in Minnesota if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade this summer,” Walz wrote. “I won’t. “To protect abortion rights across Minnesota, we need to win in November.” Walz’s campaign issued a news release citing votes or statements by three leading Republican gubernatorial candidates — Dr. Scott Jensen, state Sen. Paul Gazelka and Kendall Qualls — pledging to ban abortion outright if they unseat Walz in November. “PROTECT THE LIFE OF THE UNBORN,” Jensen said in a Tweet Monday night. Roe v. Wade currently allows states to regulate but not ban abortions before fetuses become viable, at about 24 weeks. The state of Mississippi has asked the court to rule there is no constitutional right to an abortion. But Minnesota has a 1995 court ruling, Doe v. Gomez, guaranteeing the right to an abortion that is stronger than the federal law. Overturning it would require either a constitutional amendment ratified by Minnesota voters in a statewide referendum or the state law would have to be overruled in the courts. Anti-abortion groups acknowledge repealing the state law would be difficult.
