Minnesota Republican governor candidate Scott Jensen said he supports an exception to abortion restrictions for victims of rape and incest, suggesting in a new video that his past remarks on the issue were "clumsy."
The video marks a shift from Jensen on the issue of abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Jensen told MPR News in March that his campaign would work to ban abortion. He went further in a May interview with WCCO Radio, saying he didn't support exceptions for victims of rape or incest unless the life of the mother was in danger.
"I never thought it necessary to try and identify what those exceptions might be in regards to legal abortion or not, because I always thought when I uphold the pregnant woman's life, and if her mental and physical health is in danger or jeopardized, that's all that needs to be said," said Jensen, a family physician and former state senator, in the video.
"If I've been unclear previously, I want to be clear now. Rape and incest, along with endangering the mother's mental or physical health, are acceptable exceptions," he added.
Jensen spoke during a more than 14-minute video released on Friday, along with a 10-point plan from his campaign that would boost adoption tax credits and funding for crisis pregnancy centers while reducing adoption costs. The plan would also establish a paid family maternity leave plan through an employer buy-in option.
Democrats and abortion rights groups criticized Jensen's new comments and plan on Friday. DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin said he is trying to walk back previous comments on the issue.
"There is no reason to assume that Governor Scott Jensen would not attempt to pass the abortion ban — without exceptions for rape and incest — that he has repeatedly supported," Martin said in a statement on Friday.
Maggie Meyer, executive director of Pro-Choice Minnesota, singled out his plan's support for crisis pregnancy centers (CPC), which she said target pregnant people with misinformation in an effort to prevent them from seeking abortions.
"We must work to ensure that CPCs are more regulated and stop spending billions of taxpayer dollars to spread misinformation and shame people for the outcome of their pregnancy — no matter what it is," said Meyer.
The video marks the first substantial comments and policy positions laid out by the campaign on the issue of abortion since the Supreme Court decision. Democrats have attacked Jensen and his lieutenant governor candidate Matt Birk for their past comments on abortion, including remarks Birk made the day Roe was overturned.
Birk, who has said he doesn't support abortion exceptions for rape victims, nodded during Jensen's remarks on rape and incest exceptions in the video but didn't comment further.
As part of their plan, Jensen said they would propose legislation to provide free counseling for rape and incest survivors and try to improve access to birth control and family planning services. Jensen said he also supports renewing some abortion regulations — such as parental notification for minors and informed consent policies — that recently were struck down by a district judge.
"This is a good plan," Birk said. "This is us putting our money where our mouth is when we're talking about uplifting and honoring women and mothers. It will probably change a little bit. I think we're going to get a lot of feedback and we're going to keep talking to people about it."
Their campaign has focused messaging in recent months on rising crime rates, high costs and inflation. In the video, Jensen argues that abortion is not on the ballot in November because the right is protected in Minnesota through the state Supreme Court ruling in the 1995 case Doe v. Gomez.
"It's an assured right," he said. "We have no intention of going to battle on that."
