October 25, 2022
Earlier this summer, Kistner tried to walk back his “100% pro-life” views until media reports uncovered his extreme pledge to push for more abortion restrictions
What did Kistner promise this time?
Burnsville, MN – This weekend, the National Right to Life Committee sent mail to Minnesota households urging them to vote for Tyler Kistner, their backed candidate in the MN-02 race.
NRLC, the largest anti-abortion organization in the country, established the “incremental approach” used by the anti-choice movement. The ultimate goal of the incremental approach is a national abortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest. Kistner pledged support for this approach this summer.
NRLC-endorsed candidates are required to complete a questionnaire to determine the candidate’s alignment with the NRLC mission. The 2022 questionnaire includes the following questions:
- Do you advocate reversing and/or changing the Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey decisions, so that elected legislative bodies (the state legislatures and Congress) may once again protect unborn children by limiting and/or prohibiting abortion?
- Would you vote against any legislation that would weaken any pro-life law or policy that is in effect on the day that you are elected?
- Would you vote against any federal legislation that would place new limits on the ability of states to regulate abortion – for example, the so-called “Women’s Health Protection Act” (S. 1975, H.R. 3755 in the 117th Congress), sometimes referred to by critics as the “Abortion Without Limits Until Birth Act,” which is the successor to the so-called “Freedom of Choice Act”?
- Would you vote for legislation to limit abortion from the point in development at which an unborn child has a detectable heartbeat?
- Will you oppose any attempt to retroactively nullify the ratification deadline on the 1972 ERA?
- Will you oppose the Equality Act or any similar legislation unless it contains explicit language to ensure that it will not affect abortion policy?
- Would you oppose any new health care legislation intended to comprehensively revise or replace ObamaCare, unless it contains explicit language covering all provisions of the legislation, prohibiting federal subsidies for elective abortion and for insurance plans that cover abortion, and preventing federal pro-abortion regulatory mandates, on a permanent basis?
- Would you vote against legislation that would impose government price-fixing or “negotiation” on prescription drugs in either Medicare or the private market?
Earlier this year, Kistner likely sent in his responses to NRLC’s questionnaire to earn their support. But, Kistner has yet to make his answers to the questionnaire public and continues to obfuscate on the issue of abortion.
“Minnesotans have a right to know exactly what promises Tyler Kistner has made to special interests groups regarding their rights and freedoms,” said Rep. Angie Craig. “With 15 days left until Election Day, Minnesota voters deserve to know if Tyler Kistner quietly pledged to eliminate a woman’s right to choose and roll back significant health care progress. I’m calling on him to release his NRLC questionnaire immediately.”
This is the latest development in a pattern of dishonesty and inconsistency from Kistner on the campaign trail, specifically on the issue of abortion.
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.