Minnesota Abortion Restrictions Struck Down By Ramsey County Judge

MINNESOTA — A Ramsey County judge has struck down many of Minnesota's major abortion restrictions, including the mandatory 24-hour waiting period and the two-parent notification requirement for girls under the age of 18.

Judge Thomas Gilligan — who was appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton in 2014 — ruled on Monday that the restrictions violate the state constitution and said they cannot be enforced.

In his decision, Gilligan cited Doe. v. Gomez, a 1995 Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that found that the state's constitution guarantees the right of every resident to an abortion up to 20 weeks.

In addition to axing the waiting period and the parental notification laws, Gilligan lifted a state law that says only physicians can perform abortions.

"These abortion laws violate the right to privacy because they infringe upon the fundamental right under the Minnesota Constitution to access abortion care and do not withstand strict scrutiny," Gilligan wrote.

"The parental notification law violates the guarantee of equal protection for the same reasons. The informed consent law also violates the right to free speech under the Minnesota Constitution, because it is misleading and confusing, and does not withstand intermediate scrutiny."

Monday's ruling comes just weeks after the United States Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, thus allowing each state the power to regulate abortion on its own.

Of its immediate neighbors, the state of Minnesota has by far the most liberal abortion laws. As a result, the state is set to become an abortion destination following the Supreme Court's ruling.

Meanwhile, North and South Dakota have near-complete abortion bans that are set to take effect following the decision. Iowa and Wisconsin already have laws on the books that ban abortion.

Read Gilligan's entire ruling below:

This is a breaking news story. Patch will update as more information is made available.