Pawlenty Campaign Press Release - Pawlenty Credited With Helping Minnesota Abortions Drop Again

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews

Governor Tim Pawlenty is getting credit from the pro-life organization in his state with paving the way for today's announcement by the Minnesota health department that abortions have dropped again to a historic low.

As LifeNews.com reported, Minnesota abortions dropped another seven percent to their lowest levels since 1975, thanks in part to an innovative law the former governor and 2012 Republican presidential candidate signed that paves the way for state funding for groups that provide women with abortion alternatives. The Positive Alternatives program has provided thousands of women practical pregnancy support and assistance — women who may otherwise have felt they had no financial option other than abortion in an unplanned pregnancy situation.

"Pro-life laws save lives and the legislation that Governor Pawlenty signed into law directly is saving lives in our state," Minnesota Citizens for Life executive director Scott Fischbach told LifeNews.com.

"Under Governor Pawlenty's leadership we now have the lowest abortion number and rate since 1975," he said. "Last year's decrease of 7.1% was the biggest drop since 1983. We also saw a 16.8% drop in minors abortions — these drops don't occur in these hard economic times without pro-life laws being in place."

"Governor Pawlenty was a stalwart pro-life leader who enacted pro-life laws and today, thousands of Minnesotans are alive because of his love of life," he added.

Alex Conant, the Pawlenty presidential campaign press secretary, told LifeNews that the former Minnesota governor is proud of his record and appreciates seeing the results of the pro-life legislation he implemented with the state legislature during his tenure, which ended earlier this year.

"As Governor, Tim Pawlenty supported and enacted several important pro-life measures, including the Woman's Right to Know Act, the Unborn Child Pain Prevention Act and the Positive Alternatives Act, which have made a significant difference," Conant said. "The Governor believes we must take it upon ourselves to protect all life, from unborn to the elderly. He is proud of the work we did in Minnesota to move the state in a pro-life direction."

The annual Abortion Report shows a total of 11,505 abortions were done in Minnesota in 2010, more than seven percent fewer than the 12,388 done in 2009. The 2010 total is the lowest number on record since two years after the Roe v. Wade decision released by the U.S. Supreme Court struck down pro-life laws protecting women and unborn children across the country.

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