October 24, 2022
Since the Supreme Court allowed states to pass their own abortion laws, nine states have banned the practice without exceptions for rape or incest
Burnsville, MN – Four months ago, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, upending 50 years of legal precedent that prevented states from implementing extreme abortion restrictions. When pressed for his views on the overturning of Roe v. Wade at various points throughout the 2022 election cycle, Tyler Kistner has stated that he believes abortion laws should be “left at the states” to decide.
While Kistner’s most recent position is that he supports exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother, he says he believes states should have the right to restrict abortion, meaning they can enact complete bans without exceptions. He has maintained that he does not believe it would be his responsibility as a member of Congress to enact federal protections for these exceptions.
Since states were given the power to make their own abortion laws, nine states have banned the practice without exceptions for rape or incest. Here’s what has happened in the four months post-Roe:
- People: Texas Woman Nearly Loses Her Life After Doctors Can’t Legally Perform an Abortion (10/18/22)
- USA Today: She had ‘a baby dying inside’ her. Under Missouri’s abortion ban, doctors could do nothing. (10/15/22)
- VICE: A Woman Needed Help After an Abortion. She Had to Wait Because She Wasn’t Dying Yet. (9/6/22)
- Independent UK: Her baby was dying. She needed an abortion to survive. But Texas was ready to let her die too (7/26/22)
“Tyler Kistner doesn’t seem to understand the consequences of his own positions on this issue, but the millions of American women who have lost access to reproductive health care do,” said Angie Craig for Congress campaign manager Wellesley Daniels. “Since June, we’ve watched state after state exercise their Kistner-endorsed right to ban abortion, and in nine states they’ve banned it without exceptions. In November, Minnesota women will send a message loud and clear that they want a representative who will fight for their freedoms, not one who wants to take them away.”
Kistner has called himself “100% pro-life” but removed that language from his website. On the campaign trail in 2020 he was quoted multiple times saying, “I’m pro-life, pro-gun, pro-Trump.”
This summer, Kistner pledged to uphold “any pro-life law or policy” that is on the books the day he is elected and to use his vote in Congress to push for additional abortion restrictions. That pledge did not include exceptions for cases of rape or incest.