Abortion rights bill fast-tracked in Minnesota to become law

By STEVE KARNOWSKI
Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A bill to strengthen abortion rights in Minnesota by codifying protections into state statutes has passed its first test. A House health panel approved the legislation 11-8 Thursday on just the third day of the 2023 session, and sent it to its next committee stop on an expedited path to a House floor vote. Backers hope to put the bill on Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s desk by the end of the month. As lawmakers across the country begin to reconvene, they’re getting their first chances to take up key abortion proposals since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.