Minnesota’s most prominent pro-life group, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, is marking its 50th anniversary this week. Spokesman Bill Poehler says their biggest success since 1968 is the lives they’ve saved. Poehler says, “Abortions have dropped from a peak of 19 thousand in 1980 — 19 thousand per year — down to about 10 thousand per year now.” He says abortions performed on minors dropped 90 percent, pointing to Minnesota’s parental notification law.
Jen Aulwes with Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North and South Dakota responds, “Planned Parenthood does more in one day to prevent unintended pregnancy than MCCL has done in its 50 years.” Aulwes says if birth control services were not available, unintended pregancies and abortions would be much higher.