Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen has said he supports an exception to abortion restrictions for victims of rape and incest, suggesting in a new video that his past remarks on the issue were “awkward “.
The video marks a shift for Jensen on the issue of abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Jensen told MPR News in March that his campaign would work to ban abortion. He went further in a May interview with WCCO Radio, saying he did not support exceptions for victims of rape or incest unless the mother’s life was in danger.
“I never thought it was necessary to try to identify what those exceptions might be with respect to legal abortion or not, because I always thought that when I defend the life of the pregnant woman , and if his mental and physical health is in danger or compromised, that’s all that needs to be said,” Jensen, a family physician and former state senator, said in the video.
“If I was not clear before, I want to be clear now, rape and incest, as well as endangering the mental or physical health of the mother, are acceptable exceptions,” he said. he adds.
Jensen spoke during a 14-plus-minute video released on Friday, along with a 10-point plan from her campaign that would increase adoption tax credits and funding for crisis pregnancy centers while reducing adoption costs. The plan would also establish a paid family maternity leave scheme through an employer purchase option.
Democrats and abortion rights groups criticized the new comments and Jensen’s plan on Friday. DFL party chairman Ken Martin said he was trying to backtrack on previous comments on the matter.
“There is no reason to assume that a Governor Scott Jensen would not attempt to pass the ban on abortion – with no exceptions for rape and incest – which he has repeatedly supported,” Martin said in a statement Friday.
Maggie Meyer, executive director of Pro-Choice Minnesota, highlighted her plan’s support for crisis pregnancy centers, which she says target pregnant women with misinformation in an effort to prevent them from having abortions.
“We need to ensure that CPCs are more regulated and stop spending billions of taxpayer dollars spreading misinformation and shaming people for their pregnancy outcomes, no matter what they are,” said Meyer said.
The video marks the campaign’s first substantive comments and policy positions on the abortion issue since the Supreme Court ruling. Democrats have attacked Jensen and his Lt. Governor nominee Matt Birk for their past comments on abortion, including remarks Birk made the day Roe was ousted.
Birk, who said he does not support abortion exceptions for rape victims, nodded at Jensen’s remarks about the rape and incest exceptions in the video, but did not made other comments.
As part of their plan, Jensen said they would propose legislation to provide free counseling to victims of rape and incest and try to improve access to birth control and family planning services. Jensen said he also supports renewing some abortion regulations — such as parental notification for minors and informed consent policies — that were recently struck down by a district court judge.
“It’s a good plan,” Birk said. “We’re the ones putting our money where our mouth is when we talk about uplifting and honoring women and mothers. That’s probably going to change a bit. I think we’re going to get a lot of feedback and we’re going to keep going. to tell people about it.”
Their campaign has focused its messages in recent months on rising crime rates, high costs and inflation. In the video, Jensen argues that abortion “isn’t on the ballot in November” because the right is protected in Minnesota by the state Supreme Court’s decision in Doe v. Gomez in 1995.
“It’s an assured right,” he said. “We don’t intend to fight over it.”
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