Speaker Hortman, DFL-ers signal right to an abortion would be "one of the first" bills passed in upcoming session

MINNEAPOLIS -- As the midterm elections come to a close, leaving Democrats in Minnesota with more legislative power than they've had in the last decade, top DFL-ers signal that legislation on abortion rights will be one of their priorities in the upcoming session.

House Speaker Melissa Hortman said in an interview with Esme Murphy on WCCO Sunday Morning that putting the right to have an abortion into law was "absolutely necessary."

"It will be one of the first, if not the first bill passed," Hortman said.

In a meeting on Friday with newly-tapped leader of the Senate Kari Dziedzic and Gov. Tim Walz, Hortman said the three are aligned in their priorities.

"It's one that we think we can expedite. We'll meet with our caucuses and we'll find out whether the team is all with us, but we suspect that the team is ready to do that," she said.

Minnesota is currently an oasis for abortion access in the upper Midwest. But just as Roe v. Wade fell in June, Democrats fear that Doe v. Gomez - a state supreme court decision that affirmed Minnesotans' right to an abortion - could follow. 

Hortman said she and other Democrats also have other legislative priorities, including "climate, gun violence prevention, and protecting democracy." Paid family leave would also be at the top of the docket.

In:
• Abortion