(The Center Square) – A Ramsey County judge has ruled some state laws restricting abortion access are unconstitutional.
A 1995 law kept abortion legal in Minnesota after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.
House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, called for the ruling to be appealed.
“Attorney General Ellison must appeal this ridiculous ruling and defend Minnesota’s longstanding bipartisan pro-life laws,” Daudt tweeted.
Gov. Tim Walz supports legal abortion.
Judge Thomas A Gillian Jr. handed down the ruling on Monday, striking all of the following state laws: A 24-hour waiting period and parental notification for those under 18; that only physicians perform abortions; and that abortions performed after the first trimester must be performed in a hospital.
“These abortion laws violate the right to privacy because they infringe upon the fundamental right under the Minnesota Constitution to access abortion care and do not withstand strict scrutiny,” Gillian wrote in the 140-page ruling.
Amanda Allen, senior counsel and director at the Lawyering Project, welcomed the ruling.
“With abortion bans in half the country set to take effect in the coming weeks and months, it is more important than ever to leverage protections in state constitutions like Minnesota’s,” Allen said in a statement. “Minnesota has the chance to be a safe place for people amidst this national public health crisis. There is no room for laws that require patients and providers to jump through hoops to access care or that rob people of their dignity.”
