Jeff Johnson Would Ban Abortion, Sign Radical Heartbeat Bill

Johnson continues to court GOP activists, setting the stage for the GOP primary

Day after day, Minnesota GOP gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson is proving he would govern Minnesota from the far right. Johnson made it clear he would restrict access to women’s health and sign a far-right heartbeat bill – a priority for right to life groups. Yesterday, in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio, the GOP-endorsed Johnson enthusiastically supported similar legislation to the “heartbeat” proposal in Iowa, which severely restricts women’s access to abortion.
That bill restricts women from getting the procedure after the first six weeks of a pregnancy, leaving abortion legal only during a period of time when most women do not even know they are pregnant.
Meanwhile, Tim Pawlenty spent his failed governorship fighting abortion rights and spent his presidential campaign courting far-right anti-abortion groups.
With a Trump-appointed Supreme Court justice potentially willing to overturn Roe v. Wade, access to women’s health care will fall to governors to protect.
Here’s what Johnson had to say on MPR:

Jeff Johnson: So I am pro-life and I believe in exceptions to that for the life of the mother, or rape, or incest. But I am pro-life and would sign a pro-life bill if it came through, should Roe v Wade be overturned. I think realistically in Minnesota, what you would probably see rather than just a full-blown outlawing of abortion, I think you’d probably see some greater restrictions than what we have right now. Certainly on taxpayer-funded abortions which we could do right now. But also on, for example, the Heartbeat bill, that I think we saw pass in Iowa. That said if you can hear and feel a heartbeat, than that is a living child and you shouldn’t be able to abort them.
Kerri Miller: And you would support legislation like that?
Johnson: I would.

“Jeff Johnson poses a significant threat to women’s access to health care in Minnesota,” says Democratic Governors Association Deputy Communications Director David Turner. “Despite 45 years of settled precedent and the majority of Republicans against overturning Roe v Wade, Johnson is calling for a fanatical departure from mainstream views. Tim Pawlenty should unequivocally state he wouldn’t support a heartbeat bill that would force women’s health back to the Dark Ages.”