ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A state agency has asked a court to throw out a lawsuit alleging that Minnesota taxpayers have been wrongfully charged for more than 37,000 abortions on indigent women since 1999.
The Department of Human Services said in papers filed late Tuesday that the lawsuit should be dismissed because the plaintiffs have failed to show that the agency has made any improper payments. It said the agency funds abortions for women on public assistance only when doctors certify them as medically necessary, as required by a 1995 Minnesota Supreme Court decision. It said that decision bars the state from prying into discussions between a woman and her doctor over her reason for seeking an abortion.
A hearing on the motion is scheduled before Ramsey County District Judge Kathleen Gearin on Feb. 28.
