ST. PAUL – January 22 marked the 43rd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, and on its anniversary date last Thursday thousands of Minnesotans travelled to St. Paul in order to rally and urge lawmakers to approve pro-life initiatives.
State Representative Dave Hancock (R-Bemidji) was pleased to attend the event – which was sponsored by the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) - and see so many supporters.
"Once again it is wonderful to see a strong turnout of Minnesotans who support life from conception until natural death," Hancock said. “It was great to see tremendous turnout from all corners of this state for a very important cause.”
Last session, the Born-Alive Infant Act was signed into law. Hancock said this initiative strives to ensure that infants born alive as a result of an abortion are considered human and have full rights. According to the law, medical professionals must take all reasonable approaches to ensure that the newborn is cared for, otherwise they are subject to civil and disciplinary actions. Lawmakers also provided more resources for the Safe Place for Newborns program in 2015.
But while the Minnesota House also approved bills that limited state-sponsored health plans to pay for abortions and required the licensing of abortion clinics for facilities performing ten or more abortions a month, Hancock said they did not reach Governor Dayton's desk.
"Realizing that Governor Dayton is unsupportive makes pursuing pro-life legislation quite challenging, but it doesn't mean we should ever drop our effort to support the dignity of human life," Hancock said.