MN Governor Dayton Vetoes Anti-Abortion Bill: One Down, One to Go

In a recent post, I wrote about how to the 50s* by passing anti-abortion bills that would severely limit a woman's right to choose. I was pissed off, yes, that the Republicans were wasting time with this bullshit, but my anger was muted because of the knowledge that our governor is pro-choice. Governor Mark Dayton has vetoed anti-abortion bills in the past, and I was fairly confident that he would veto the two bills I recently wrote about as well.

Well, via an email from NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota, I learned that Governor Dayton has vetoed the TRAP (Targeted Regulation of  Abortion Providers)  bill.  ::throws confetti in the air::

In vetoing the bill, Governor Dayton took supporters to task.  They claimed that they were concerned with clinics that provide abortions not being licensed, even though said clinics are under strict oversight.  Governor Dayton said the wording in the bill was so vague, it would allow anyone to bring a complaint against one of the clinics for any reason at all.  In noting that there are 1,250 unlicensed outpatient clinics in Minnesota and not just the six targeted, he also said:

“The legislation targets only facilities which provide abortions,” [he wrote]. “If regulation of clinics were the concern, the bill should have required licensure of all clinics, not just a select few. If the Legislature wants to create a new regulatory scheme for health care clinics, then all clinics should be treated equally. No clinic or procedure should be the focus of special and unique regulatory requirements.”

He nailed it in one.  The supporters of this bill aren't so much concerned about health and the lack of licensure for clinics as they are intent on making it as hard as possible to obtain an abortion.  Every anti-abortion bill they push is for that express purpose, no matter in what terms they couch the language.  We are not fooled and neither is Governor Dayton.

As an aside, I find it pretty ironic that the party of less spending and less government once again proves that it's neither. If this bill had been signed into law, it would have taken a shitload**of money to enforce, and, of course, it would have meant more regulations - which the GOP supposedly hates.  Again, it just proves that Republicans put their fetus-fanaticism above everything else they purport to hold sacred, and it underscores their rampant hypocrisy when it comes to the issue of choice.

I could go on and on about the GOP's War on Women™ as I have in the past and as I'm sure I will in the future, but I'll put it aside with difficulty for now. The purpose of this post is to express my gratitude to Governor Dayton for standing up for women and our right to choose what to do with our bodies. I'm sending him a thank-you email for vetoing the TRAP bill and will also urge him to veto the bill that would prohibit telemedicine as an option for the RU-486 pill.  You can do so as well if you like!  You can also thank him on Twitter as I did.  His handle is @GovMarkDayton.

*The 1850s, that is.

**Just an estimate, of course.

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