Catholic Bishops Oppose Minnesota Measure Allowing Abortions Up to Birth
The Catholic Bishops of Minnesota are urging state residents to oppose a measure that would allow killing babies in abortions up to birth.
A proposed “Equal Rights Amendment” SF 37 deceives voters with its nice-sounding name – by taking women’s rights and turning it into unlimited abortion.
As Catholic News Agency reports, the measure drew opposition from the Catholic leaders because of that fact.
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis this week urged Catholics to join a rally to oppose a proposed constitutional amendment that they say “fails to protect Minnesotans from discrimination based on religion, could constitutionally mandate legal abortion up to the moment of birth, and promotes harmful gender ideology.”
The proposed amendment, sponsored by St. Paul Rep. Kaohly Her of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), adds several protected categories to the state’s constitution, in part saying the state cannot discriminate against a person on the basis of sex.
Within the category of sex, the proposal includes “making and effectuating decisions about all matters relating to one’s own pregnancy or decision whether to become or remain pregnant,” as well as “gender identity or gender expression” and “sexual orientation.”
Under such language, any protections for unborn babies and any limits on abortion would be prohibited.
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Therefore, Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, speaking in a May 6 video message on behalf of the state’s bishops, said Catholics should reject the measure.
The so-called right to abortion, which the Church has always opposed, would become in Minnesota law “so fundamental that we can’t even legislate against it,” Barron said. In addition, he noted that the proposal lacks the possibility of conscientious objection, meaning churches, schools, and health care institutions guided by faith could be mandated to endorse practices or speech that violate their beliefs.
“Specifically, we will be coming together to pray for and urge legislators to oppose the so-called ‘Equal Rights Amendment’ that fails to protect Minnesotans from discrimination based on religion, could constitutionally mandate legal abortion up to the moment of birth, and promotes harmful gender ideology.”
A statewide pro-life group also opposes the measure.
“This bill conceals abortion-up-to-birth in innocuous language and attempts to dupe Minnesota’s citizens, who overwhelmingly oppose unlimited abortion, into unknowingly voting for just that,” said MCCL Co-Executive Director Cathy Blaeser.
If the bill passes, voters would be asked on the ballot about protecting equal rights based on “pregnancy” (among other things), with no mention or implication of abortion. But the actual amendment that would be adopted would protect the right to abortion (the right to decide “whether to become or remain pregnant”) without limits.
Minnesota law already allows abortion without limits, but SF 37 would enshrine it into the Constitution and prevent future lawmakers from enacting even commonsense abortion policies. The proposal also excludes language safeguarding conscience and religious rights, removing protection for “creed” that was included in a previous version.
Only 30 percent of Minnesotans support the current no-limits abortion policy, according to both a Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 poll and a KSTP/SurveyUSA poll.
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