MN Stat § 145.925 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 144 - 159 — Health|Chapter 145 — Public Health Provisions|Section 145.925 — Family Planning Grants.

145.925 FAMILY PLANNING GRANTS. Subdivision 1. Eligible organizations; purpose. The commissioner of health may make special grants to cities, counties, groups of cities or counties, or nonprofit corporations to provide prepregnancy family planning services. Subd. 1a. Family planning services; defined. "Family planning services" means counseling by trained personnel regarding family planning; distribution of information relating to family planning, referral to licensed physicians or local health agencies for consultation, examination, medical treatment, genetic counseling, and prescriptions for the purpose of family planning; and the distribution of family planning products, such as charts, thermometers, drugs, medical preparations, and contraceptive devices. For purposes of sections 145A.01 to 145A.14, family planning shall mean voluntary action by individuals to prevent or aid conception but does not include the performance, or make referrals for encouragement of voluntary termination of pregnancy. Subd. 2. Prohibition. The commissioner shall not make special grants pursuant to this section to any nonprofit corporation which performs abortions. No state funds shall be used under contract from a grantee to any nonprofit corporation which performs abortions. This provision shall not apply to hospitals licensed pursuant to sections 144.50 to 144.56, or health maintenance organizations certified pursuant to chapter 62D. Subd. 3. Minors. No funds provided by grants made pursuant to this section shall be used to support any family planning services for any unemancipated minor in any elementary or secondary school building. Subd. 4. Parental notification. Except as provided in sections 144.341 and 144.342, any person employed to provide family planning services who is paid in whole or in part from funds provided under this section who advises an abortion or sterilization to any unemancipated minor shall, following such a recommendation, so notify the parent or guardian of the reasons for such an action. Subd. 5. Rules. The commissioner of health shall promulgate rules for approval of plans and budgets of prospective grant recipients, for the submission of annual financial and statistical reports, and the maintenance of statements of source and application of funds by grant recipients. The commissioner of health may not require that any home rule charter or statutory city or county apply for or receive grants under this subdivision as a condition for the receipt of any state or federal funds unrelated to family planning services. Subd. 6. Public services; individual and employee rights. The request of any person for family planning services or the refusal to accept any service shall in no way affect the right of the person to receive public assistance, public health services, or any other public service. Nothing in this section shall abridge the right of the individual to make decisions concerning family planning, nor shall any individual be required to state a reason for refusing any offer of family planning services. Any employee of the agencies engaged in the administration of the provisions of this section may refuse to accept the duty of offering family planning services to the extent that the duty is contrary to personal beliefs. A refusal shall not be grounds for dismissal, suspension, demotion, or any other discrimination in employment. The directors or supervisors of the agencies shall reassign the duties of employees in order to carry out the provisions of this section. All information gathered by any agency, entity, or individual conducting programs in family planning is private data on individuals within the meaning of section 13.02, subdivision 12. Subd. 7. Family planning services; information required. A grant recipient shall inform any person requesting counseling on family planning methods or procedures of: (1) Any methods or procedures which may be followed, including identification of any which are experimental or any which may pose a health hazard to the person; (2) A description of any attendant discomforts or risks which might reasonably be expected; (3) A fair explanation of the likely results, should a method fail; (4) A description of any benefits which might reasonably be expected of any method; (5) A disclosure of appropriate alternative methods or procedures; (6) An offer to answer any inquiries concerning methods of procedures; and (7) An instruction that the person is free either to decline commencement of any method or procedure or to withdraw consent to a method or procedure at any reasonable time. Subd. 8. Coercion; penalty. Any person who receives compensation for services under any program receiving financial assistance under this section, who coerces or endeavors to coerce any person to undergo an abortion or sterilization procedure by threatening the person with the loss of or disqualification for the receipt of any benefit or service under a program receiving state or federal financial assistance shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Subd. 9. Amount of grant; rules. Notwithstanding any rules to the contrary, including rules proposed in the State Register on April 1, 1991, the commissioner, in allocating grant funds for family planning special projects, shall not limit the total amount of funds that can be allocated to an organization. The commissioner shall allocate to an organization receiving grant funds on July 1, 1997, at least the same amount of grant funds for the 1998 to 1999 grant cycle as the organization received for the 1996 to 1997 grant cycle, provided the organization submits an application that meets grant funding criteria. This subdivision does not affect any procedure established in rule for allocating special project money to the different regions. The commissioner shall revise the rules for family planning special project grants so that they conform to the requirements of this subdivision. In adopting these revisions, the commissioner is not subject to the rulemaking provisions of chapter 14, but is bound by section 14.386, paragraph (a), clauses (1) and (3). Section 14.386, paragraph (b), does not apply to these rules. History:  1976 c 9 s 2; 1977 c 305 s 45; 1978 c 775 s 1; 1981 c 311 s 39; 1981 c 356 s 176; 1982 c 545 s 24; 1983 c 289 s 115 subd 1; 1Sp1985 c 9 art 2 s 16; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 309 s 25; 1991 c 199 art 2 s 1; 1991 c 292 art 2 s 32; 1997 c 187 art 5 s 19; 1997 c 203 art 2 s 15