This week, several bills to restrict choice are moving through committees at the legislature.

Among them is legislation that would defund any organization that is affiliated with abortion services that receives Title X dollars. This would, in effect, defund Planned Parenthood and other organizations that are already banned from using tax dollars to perform abortion. Currently, Title X dollars can only be used for other family planning services.

Another bill, that comes up year after year, would create a $4,000 licensing system for any clinic that offers abortion services. The effort mirrors attempts by conservatives in states like Mississippi, which have deliberately enacted restrictions in an attempt to close as many abortion clinics as possible. These restrictions have resulted in a dramatic spike in the number of self-induced abortions, endangering the lives of thousands of woman who are being denied their right to choose.

Other anti-choice bills that are moving through House committees include legislation that would place more arbitrary regulations on clinics and make it harder for the state to support women exercising their right to choose. Conservatives are attempting to turn Minnesota into an anti-choice state, following in the legislative footprints of many states in the South.

Attempts to limit choice in Minnesota will have a hard time making it into law, thanks to our pro-choice Senate and Governor Dayton, but this serves as a good reminder of how important it is to elect pro-choice leaders in Minnesota, and how devoted Minnesota Republicans are to going after women’s healthcare.