MINNEAPOLIS, April 26 (UPI) -- Minnesota's governor Thursday vetoed a bill that would have required the state to license abortion clinics.
Sponsored by state Sen. Claire Robling, a Republican, the legislation would have required the state to license any clinic that does 10 or more abortions a month, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported
Gov. Mark Dayton, a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, said in his veto letter the bill would have imposed "inappropriate and unworkable" new requirements on the clinics, and was so vague, complaints could have been filed for any reason.
Clinics would have been monitored for "conduct or practices detrimental to the welfare of the patient,"
The governor said the state's six abortion clinics are among 1,250 outpatient clinics in the state that operate without requiring a state license, the Star Tribune reported.
But the regular clinics operate under strict oversight, the newspaper said.
Supporters said the measure was common-sense and it was absurd for the state to license tattoo parlors and hair-braiding salons, but not abortion clinics.
Dayton responded that if the issue was health and not just abortion politics, then the state should license all 1,250 outpatient clinics, not just the six abortion clinics, the newspaper reported.
Meanwhile, a bill to require a physician be present when abortion pills are prescribed or taken passed the Legislature Thursday morning.
