Rochester, Minn. – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Tuesday that an increase in non-resident abortions is likely if the US Supreme Court’s draft opinion on the issue affects federal protections.
“Minnesota will probably be a destination point, because if you look at the Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin, we are,” he said, adding that surrounding states are already working to reduce legal and safe abortion rights. are. “We are until you hit Illinois.”
Ellison said the current court opinion in Minnesota protecting the right to seek an abortion even has some hurdles.
He said his office would continue to defend existing state restrictions, including a requirement that minors notify both parents before receiving an abortion. Other state limits include a 24-hour waiting period and a requirement that only doctors can perform abortions.
“We believe it’s part of our job to protect the law,” said Ellison, a Democrat who is seeking a second term in office this fall.
However, he said he would draw a clear line if future state laws attempt to ban abortion altogether.
“I can tell you in principle, I will never participate in the prosecution of a person seeking an abortion,” he said. “I just won’t.”
Ellison, who included a stop at Planned Parenthood Health Center in Rochester on Tuesday, said he was gathering information about the potential impact of the leaked draft and a possible Supreme Court ruling that would be in Roches v. Will negatively affect Wade.
“I’ve heard a lot of fear, anxiety and worry,” she said, adding that staff at health centers have also expressed concerns about services that don’t include abortion.
As attorney general, Ellison said he sees justification in such concerns, even though Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion says it limits the scope of potential court action.
“There is no logical terminal point to his legal argument,” Ellison said. “His basic argument is that abortion is not specified in the Constitution; therefore there is no right to abortion. It is an absurd position, and he is a very smart man, so he knows it.”
He said a similar argument could eventually lead to same-sex marriage or challenges to access to birth control.
Stating a belief that the Constitution’s right to privacy includes the right to seek abortion, Ellison said she worried about a possible decision and then returned to individual states’ decisions on the issue.
“I think it’s very sad that someone’s human rights are dependent on the situation in which they live,” he said.
Within Minnesota, he also predicted that state controls on abortion rights could lead to a political rift if the draft opinion is supported by the Supreme Court.
“If pro-life people believe the only thing in between banning abortion is a Minnesota law, why wouldn’t they try to issue their signature every year,” he said, adding that such The suggestion of the debate could lead to the shutdown of the state government and others. inaction
“It will change Minnesota politics,” he said.
