June 24, 2022 | Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS — Today Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL), Minnesota’s oldest and largest pro-life organization, applauded the U.S. Supreme Court for its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow Americans to protect the human rights of unborn children.
MCCL Executive Director Scott Fischbach issued the following statement:
“The decision in Dobbs v. Jackson is a monumental victory for unborn children and their mothers and a big step for inclusion and equality under the law. The Constitution does not mandate abortion-on-demand, as Roe v. Wade falsely claimed. Today’s ruling returns to the American people the ability to decide their own abortion policies, restoring the constitutional separation of powers between the branches of government. Although Dobbs will not cause any immediate change in Minnesota, those of us in the pro-life movement will strive to protect the human rights of human beings in the womb and to support and empower their mothers. We will work harder than ever to love both mother and child.”
Cathy Blaeser, a longtime MCCL board member and leader, said:
“In 1973, seven unelected men wiped away the democratic abortion laws of all 50 states, excluding a whole class of innocent human beings from protection against lethal violence. More than 63 million children have died as a result, and countless women, men, and families have been wounded. For almost five decades, in response to this extreme and destructive ruling, pro-life women and men across Minnesota and across the country have faithfully sought to help women, change hearts and minds, enact protective laws, and save lives. They have worked tirelessly for this day. We rejoice in the Dobbs v. Jackson decision while recognizing that, in many ways, our work to protect life is just beginning.”
The Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions struck down laws protecting unborn children nationwide and made the United States one of just seven countries that allow elective abortions after 20 weeks. The Dobbs v. Jackson case involves a Mississippi law protecting unborn children after 15 weeks—earlier than the Court had previously allowed. Today’s decision upholds Mississippi’s law by ruling that such protection is constitutionally permissible, overturning Roe in the process.
The Dobbs majority opinion, authored by Justice Samuel Alito, does not make abortion illegal, but allows Americans, through their elected officials, to determine laws regarding abortion, as they have done for most of American history.
What Dobbs means for Minnesota
The Dobbs ruling has no immediate effect in Minnesota. A 1995 Minnesota Supreme Court ruling, Doe v. Gomez, claimed a broad right to abortion in the Minnesota Constitution, even requiring taxpayers to fund elective abortions through the state’s Medicaid program. This ruling continues to mandate abortion-on-demand in Minnesota even though the U.S. Supreme Court no longer does.
“Doe v. Gomez, like Roe v. Wade, was an unconstitutional decision that imposed an extreme abortion policy, one that most Minnesotans don’t support,” said MCCL’s Fischbach. “Today’s Dobbs ruling is a massive step in the right direction, but we have many more steps to take before all innocent human beings are valued and protected.”
A recent KSTP/SurveyUSA poll found that only 30 percent of Minnesotans think abortion should always be legal, the current policy in Minnesota.
The pro-life agenda going forward
“The established science of human embryology shows that unborn children are living members of our species. They are human beings,” said MCCL Communications Director Paul Stark. “And human rights belong to all humans, no matter their age, size, or ability. No one should be excluded from the equal protection of the law. Unborn babies deserve respect and protection, and their mothers deserve support and love in the midst of the difficult circumstances they often face. These core ideas—science, human rights, justice, and love—form the foundation of the pro-life movement.”
Pro-life advocates operate a vast network of pregnancy care centers and other organizations and programs that assist pregnant women, new mothers, and their families. Close to 100 centers are helping women across Minnesota today.
MCCL also works to advance legislation in Minnesota to increase—as much as is possible—legal protection and support for unborn children and their mothers. Recent MCCL-backed measures include legislation to stop taxpayer funding of abortion, to stop late abortions on unborn children who can feel pain, to license and inspect abortion facilities, and to require that abortion drugs be administered at medical facilities rather than shipped to women through the mail—a growing practice that endangers women’s health.
“Abortion advocacy groups, and the politicians they support, have a very different agenda,” said Fischbach. “They favor unlimited abortion throughout pregnancy, even when babies feel excruciating pain, and they want it funded by taxpayers. In fact, these political leaders don’t even want to allow the American people to have a say. They think unelected judges should impose this extreme policy whether Americans like it or not.”
Gov. Tim Walz recently called the idea of allowing Americans to decide their own abortion policies “dangerous.” He pledged to “fight tooth and nail” against any pro-life bills and “to do more” to solidify unlimited abortion in Minnesota. Walz also publicly urged Congress to pass a bill effectively enshrining abortion-until-birth in federal law and eliminating nearly all existing protective laws across the country, including Minnesota’s informed consent and parental notification laws. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and Reps. Angie Craig and Dean Phillips all voted for that sweeping, abortion-expanding legislation.
Contrary to the claims of some abortion supporters, the pro-life movement opposes any legislation that would impose criminal penalties on women who have abortions. MCCL joined more than 70 other pro-life groups to issue an open letter strongly rejecting such penalties and urging compassion for women who have experienced abortion.
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