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2008
Minnesota Legislative Update
What are we doing
at the Capitol?
(scroll down to see what the anti-choicers are up to
at the Capitol this year)
 MHCW
is working collaboratively on these primary issues :
• comprehensive sex ed
• tackling the soaring sexually transmitted
infection (STI) rates
of Chlamydia and gonorrhea
• ensuring that funding for family planning
clinics remains intact
during the budget negotiations to address the state’s
$935 million deficit
COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY
EDUCATION
The
comprehensive sex ed bill is moving through the legislature
once again this year. In March, the Senate amended the
Education Policy Omnibus bill (SF3001) to include sex
ed. The House has passed HF0615 (the same bill introduced
in 2007) through K-12 Finance Committee and it will
now move through two additional committees on the way
to the House floor.
Minnesotans support Sex Ed !
Recent parent survey research conducted by the Healthy
Youth Development
Prevention Research Center has made a big impression
on legislators.
For
the complete report, click here.
Thank you to our Coalition partners !
Minnesota AIDS Project’s AIDS Action Day,
National Council of Jewish Women Lobby Day and Pro-Choice
Lobby Day all focused their 2008 lobby day messages
around sex education, sending a strong message of support
to legislators.
For more information on comprehensive sex education
:
http://www.sexedforlife.org
(Update courtesy of the Coalition for Responsible Sex
Ed)
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED
INFECTIONS
According
to the MN Department of Health, the number of cases
of Chlamydia being reported has greatly increased within
the last few years, and recently a Centers for Disease
Control study was just released stating that 1 in 4
teens are infected with an STI! See study : http://www.cdc.gov/stdconference/2008/media/release-11march2008.htm
Because
of this, the Alliance for Women’s Health Policy,
of which Midwest is a partner, has introduced a proposal
(SF 2879/HF 3419) to allow expedited partner therapy
(EPT) to patients who seek STI treatment. This would
allow an individual who obtains treatment for their
STI to obtain a prescription for their partner to prevent
the reoccurrence of infection. The bill has successfully
passed the policy committee by the deadlines in the
Senate and will likely be included into a larger bill
in the House.
FAMILY PLANNING FUNDING
The
Family Planning Special Projects grant was increased
last year to $10.86 million. This funding helps the
158 publicly funded clinics provide contraceptive care
to nearly 104,000 women, and helps to prevent an estimated
24,200 pregnancies per year. Midwest is fortunate to
receive some of this funding, which we use to provide
sliding fee scale services to low-income women. Since
every $1 spent for family planning saves $3.80 in public
medical costs, supporting the FPSP appropriation is
a very sound investment. At this point in the budget
negotiations between the Governor and the Legislature,
this funding is not being targeted for any reductions.
Midwest is working with SAFPlan (Statewide Association
for Family Planning) to ensure that in this time of
budget cutting, Family Planning does not go on the chopping
block.
OTHER ISSUES
• Midwest is working with Minnesotans for Impartial
Courts Coalition
to address questions on how to proceed with judicial
election reform. MHCW worked to remind legislators
that this year’s re-election of Supreme Court
Justice Paul Anderson has been targeted by the MCCL
(Minnesotans Concerned for Life) for defeat since their
announcement in January 2006.
• Midwest is working with the Healthy Legacy Coalition
to educate
the
legislature and the public of the myriad of environmental
toxins that directly affect the human (and other
species’) reproductive systems, such as premature
menses or the feminization of frogs. Legislation (HF
2100/SF 1858) that prohibits chemicals from being used
in products for children is making its way through all
of the necessary committees in both the House and the
Senate.
• MHCW introduced the Reproductive Privacy
Act (SF 3720/HF 4059)
with authors Rep. Ron Erhardt (R) in the House and Sen.
Scott Dibble (DFL) in the Senate. The legislation would
guarantee a fundamental right of privacy with respect
to personal reproductive health decisions.
What is the other
side up to this year?
• A bill to prohibit a procedure called
saline amniocentesis has been
introduced and is backed by the MCCL. According to the
Minnesota Medical Association, this procedure is not
performed in Minnesota. It is our estimate that the
legislation is another inflammatory public relations
attempt to keep abortion issues in the public spotlight.
Choice organizations will be watching for this to appear
as an amendment to upcoming health care legislation.
• As has been at the forefront of our opposition’s
issues for the past
three years, the so-called “Taxpayer Protection
Act” remains at the top of their list. The
intent of this proposed legislation is to overturn the
Doe v. Gomez decision from 1995. Some see this Court
ruling as Minnesota’s version of Roe v. Wade –
the Doe v. Gomez decision secured state funding of abortion
for low income women plus added further privacy protections
for women; if the state is to offer pregnancy related
services to low income women, the state can not discriminate
which of the services a women chooses to obtain. The
MCCL is playing on the notion that the public's tax
dollars should in no way help to pay for abortions.
If this legislation were to pass, it would directly
contradict a Supreme Court decision and would be considered
unconstitutional - therefore would immediately be challenged
again in court. The MCCL would like to see a case in
front of the Court to determine where the justices fall
on the issue in order to unseat them in upcoming elections.
For further information on any of these topics or for
other legislative or policy questions, contact Kathleen
at policy.mhcw@visi.com.
Minnesota State Policy Issues Archive :
200720062005
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