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Senate Report by Gene Dornink

Friends and neighbors, I hope everyone has enjoyed their last weeks of summer and the first days of fall. We are entering a beautiful time of year with leaves changing and family celebrations. As a member of the Capital Investment Committee, I will be spending some of my fall on tours around the state, looking at many of the local projects that require state funding. It has been great seeing these communities all around the state, and I’m looking forward to next month when we visit our district. These bonding tours allow legislators to see and understand the importance of state funding in our community.

Recently, Minnesota Democrats have formed the “Reproductive Freedom Caucus.” I want to be very clear; I will always support life from conception to natural death. This new group will push a radical agenda and target human decency. During their press conference announcing this new “caucus,” Democrat lawmakers claimed this is an attempt to go on the offensive against abortion restrictions. They went so far as to say, “we can no longer be playing defense.” I find it reprehensible that Minnesota Democrats think it necessary to go on the offensive against our unborn children. We need to defend and support our babies, not kill them.

Every child has the right to live, and Minnesota should be the best place to have and raise any child. No woman should ever feel pressured or coerced by anyone that abortion is the best or only choice for her and her baby. So, unlike the Democrats who continue to push for abortion expansions and advertisement, Minnesota Republicans have made strides toward making life easier. Our proposals include funding grants for basic infant supplies, eliminating fraud and abuse in our Child Care Assistance Program, paid work breaks for pregnancy needs, job training for new mothers, medical assistance and so many more. My colleagues and I have worked hard to make choosing life easy, and we have been met with open hostility. When it comes down to it, Democrats encourage abortion while I encourage life.

Here in Minnesota, our laws are contradictory in regards to unborn children. We have statutes outlining the act of and punishment for the murder of unborn children. If your act “causes the death of an unborn child with premeditation and with intent to effect the death of the unborn child or of another,” you will face life in prison (MN Statute 609.2661). The rationale behind this and other laws protecting our unborn is that life begins at conception. They have a heartbeat as early as 5 weeks into a pregnancy, a complete human body at 12 weeks, and have survived outside the womb at 21 weeks and 5 days. Everything we learned in class and know to be true says life begins at conception. Yet, bizarrely enough, we have almost unrestricted abortions in Minnesota, despite our laws protecting the unborn. This is a clear double standard. If we agree that life begins at conception in one area, we must acknowledge that same fact in another.

Choosing life doesn’t need to be a partisan issue. We can all work together to reduce and eliminate abortions across our state, and that starts with supporting expecting mothers. I am deeply saddened that Minnesota Democrats have chosen this path as opposed to the bipartisan path toward saving lives. I would implore all of you to investigate the new “Reproductive Freedom Caucus,” their radical agenda, and join me in saving Minnesotan lives. I want to see Democrats and Republicans coming together to promote and support expecting mothers to choose adoption in place of abortion, as well. What a win-win concept — the child lives and another family receives a blessing.

As always, I am here for you if you have any comments, questions or concerns. Please feel free to reach out to me by email at Sen.Gene.Dornink@senate.mn or call me at 651-296-5240.

Gene Dornink, R-Hayfield, is the District 27 senator.