Perhaps the most contentious political issue in the Minnesota Capitol remains abortion. And despite a budget deficit topping the legislative agenda, proponents of a woman's right to choose and opponents of legalized abortion will be putting forward initiatives and playing politics to advance their causes in the coming months.
The divide doesn't split neatly by party. Even with a DFL-dominated legislature, anti-abortion and pro-choice numbers are close, as many greater Minnesota DFLers side with Republicans on the issue. Perhaps no other issue could cause a DFLer to break ranks and vote against the re-election of House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, but that's what happened last week [14]when DFL Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba from Long Prairie was the lone DFL objector because Kelliher is pro-choice and Otremba anti-abortion.
Pro-choice advocates see an opportunity this year to promote family-planning programs. Anti-abortion groups look to stop taxpayer funds for such initiatives and put controversial bills up for a vote.
Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life launches its legislative agenda each year at the March for Life at the Capitol on the anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion. Each year the event brings out big-name politicians. Last year featured Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann. Democratic Reps. James Oberstar and Collin Peterson often send letters of support that are read to the gathered crowd. It's rare that Gov. Tim Pawlenty doesn't make an appearance.
This year, MCCL has an agenda that includes protecting Positive Alternatives, a state-funded program that helps women with unintended pregnancies find alternatives to abortion. The group says that the program has helped reduce the rate of abortion [15] in the state. Supporters fear its funding might be cut in order to close the state's budget deficit.
With little possibility of moving out of DFL-dominated committees, several other MCCL initiatives serve a different purpose: to embarrass pro-choice legislators in swing districts. A ban on saline abortions tops their agenda. This rarely used abortion technique has fallen out of favor with most physicians and constitutes 0.8 percent of procedures in the United States.
The bill to ban the procedure, which was introduced last session, didn't make it out of committee. But the MCCL often cites votes against it, either in committee or if it makes it to a floor vote, in its campaign literature.
MCCL representatives declined to talk with the Minnesota Independent about the group's legislative agenda or their take on what the session has in store for the anti-abortion movement.
On its Web site, the group claimed it had achieved "nearly all pro-life" [16] goals in the 2008 elections, increasing the number of state legislators opposed to abortion and defeating pro-choice legislators.
Tim Stanley, senior director of government and public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, explained the strategy behind a bill such as a saline abortion ban:
"They use these to try and make legislators look bad. That's been their agenda for some time. They offer these bills that have no chance of passing and then use the votes against opponents."
And, despite a strong year for progressive voters, the strategy worked.
"They ran campaigns against [Rep.] Ken Tschumper [DFL-La Crescent] and [Rep.] Shelley Madore [DFL-Apple Valley] saying they took ‘19 votes to kill babies,'" said Stanley. "They make it difficult for people in close legislative districts."
The MCCL Web site says the group targeted Tschumper and Madore because of their efforts to de-fund Positive Alternatives.
With a looming budget battle, fiscal issues will take priority in the politics of abortion. Planned Parenthood hopes to save the Prevention First Initiative, a state-funded program that provides family planning services as a tool to prevent abortion and unintended pregnancy. It's a program signed into law in 2007 by Pawlenty, who is a strong supporter of MCCL.
"I give the governor credit for that one," said Stanley. "I think the governor recognizes that you save money in the long term when you make an investment to prevent unintended pregnancy." Stanley said programs like Prevention First save $4 in social services costs for every dollar spent.
With a budget battle in which leaders say "everything is on the table," Stanley hopes to keep the program going. He says that 86 percent of the families and individuals have low incomes and are able to take advantage of the program at little or no cost.
For both sides, the Legislature is close. The Senate has a more pro-choice lean, while the House is closer with several DFLers whose commitment to either side is questionable and whose votes could make the difference. In short, the politics of abortion will remains highly contested in St. Paul.