Democratic VP pick Tim Walz signed unlimited access to abortion into Minnesota state law in 2023

As Governor, Walz also signed an executive order allowing for minors to receive 'gender affirming care' in his state

MSNBC contributor says Gov. Walz 'not a safe pick' for Harris

MSNBC's Charlie Sykes said Gov. Tim Walz was "not a safe pick" for Vice President Harris and didn't appeal to centrists like PA Gov. Josh Shapiro would have.

Tim Walz’s record as Minnesota governor proves that the recently announced Democratic vice presidential nominee is a "radical" pro-abortion candidate, a conservative site says.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris announced Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, a move that aligns her with one of the most liberal Democratic leaders in the country on abortion.

As The Daily Signal reported on Monday, Walz showcased his "radical abortion stance" when he signed "Minnesota legislation that includes no limitations on when a woman may end the life of her unborn baby" last year.

Walz signed the "Protect Reproductive Options Act" into state law in January 2023. The legislation codified a Minnesota resident’s right to an abortion, or any other form of "reproductive health care," without any restriction or regulation from local government.

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS NAMES MINNESOTA GOV. TIM WALZ AS HER RUNNING MATE

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz laughs

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., signed one of the nation's most radical pro-abortion bills into state law last year. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The text of the law read, "Every individual has a fundamental right to make autonomous decisions about the individual's own reproductive health, including the fundamental right to use or refuse reproductive health care."

It defined "reproductive health care" as "health care offered, arranged, or furnished for the purpose of preventing pregnancy, terminating a pregnancy, managing pregnancy loss, or improving maternal health and birth outcomes."

The law further stipulated, "A local unit of government may not regulate an individual's ability to freely exercise the fundamental rights set forth in this section in a manner that is more restrictive than that set forth in this section."

The Associated Press reported at the time that proponents of the legislation crafted it as "backlash against the U.S. Supreme Court decision" to reverse Roe v. Wade in 2022.

As pointed out in The Daily Signal’s piece, Walz praised the legislation at the time for protecting women’s reproductive health from the Supreme Court’s decision.

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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks to the press after attending a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also signed into law protections for youth seeking transgender medical procedures. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)

"To Minnesotans, know that your access to reproductive health, and your right to make your own health care decisions, are preserved and protected," Walz said, adding, "And because of this law, that won’t change with the political winds and the makeup of the Supreme Court."

Walz is also a proponent of radical transgender policies. The Signal reminded readers that in 2023, the governor "issued an executive order ensuring that Minnesota children may obtain irreversible transgender surgeries and sterilizing hormone treatments, which proponents call ‘gender-affirming care.’"

The Trump campaign took aim at Walz’s liberal policies immediately following the announcement he’d be Harris’ running mate.

"Walz is obsessed with spreading California’s dangerously liberal agenda far and wide. If Walz won’t tell voters the truth, we will: Just like Kamala Harris, Tim Walz is a dangerously liberal extremist, and the Harris-Walz California dream is every American’s nightmare," said Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.

Pro-life organization Students for Life Action shared a statement from its president Kristan Hawkins to Fox News Digital on Tuesday about Harris' pick for vice presidential nominee. 

"The Democratic Party ticket is now supersized with abortion radicals, as the abortion-talker Kamala Harris is joined by the abortion-doer Tim Walz," she said. "While Harris has been wildly ineffective as the Border Czar, Walz has been and will be the American Abortion Czar, as he has a track record proving his devotion to abortion in all trimesters and to the campaign funders at Planned Parenthood. This ticket is proof that taxpayers will be coerced into funding loss of life up until birth, because while Harris just talks about abortion, Walz delivered death to the people of Minnesota."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.

Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. 

Authored by Gabriel Hays via FoxNews August 6th 2024