MINNEAPOLIS — Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation Tuesday adding a "fundamental right" to abortion in state law, the first proposal in an expansive agenda moving at the Capitol to solidify Minnesota's status as a safe haven for the procedure.
"The message that we're sending to Minnesota today is very clear: Your rights are protected in this state," Walz said Tuesday, surrounded by legislators and supporters. "You have the right to make your own decisions about your health, your family and your life."
Minnesota Democrats, who narrowly control state government, fast-tracked the bill following the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade last summer, which struck down nearly 50 years of federal constitutional protection for abortion. Walz's signature one month into the legislative session makes Minnesota the 16th state to spell out a right to abortion in law, and the first state to codify those protections since Roe was overturned.
