Republican state Rep. Laura Brod, who represents Le Sueur County and New Prague, and Democratic Sen. Terri Bonoff of Minnetonka, are on opposite sides of the abortion issue.

But Brod and Bonoff are in agreement on legislation they are sponsoring to help parents deal with the emotionally difficult decision of how to deal with a fetus following a miscarriage.

“Whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, it doesn’t matter — this one is just about being pro-parent,” said Brod, a strong opponent of abortion.

Brod expects to get a bill passed by the Democratically controlled House before the legislative session ends Monday that will require hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities to give mothers written information about her options in what to do with the fetus following a miscarriage.

Bonoff, an abortion rights supporter, hasn’t received a hearing for the legislation in the Senate but plans to push it through the legislative process in the 2008 session.

“I think it’s important, and it shouldn’t get caught up in issues regarding choice,” Bonoff said. “... I’m honored to bring the bill forward.”

Bonoff said one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage, and Brod said 16,000 miscarriages occur in Minnesota each year. In some cases, parents are uncertain what their options are in disposing of the fetus.

Bonoff and Brod each told of mothers having a miscarriage in their homes and facing uncertainty about what to do with the fetus. They said some medical facilities don’t make clear that parents have the right to take possession of the fetus for burial or cremation if they choose.

“We shouldn’t have those women alone and in pain and grappling with what to do with a fetus,” Bonoff said.

Officials from both Immanuel St. Joseph’s Hospital and the Mankato Clinic said they have policies in place that already address the issue.

“All fetal tissue, regardless of age or date from conception, is treated with the utmost respect,” said Kevin Burns, a spokesman for ISJ-Mayo Health Care System.

The fetus is kept separate from other tissue, and parents are offered the option of having a funeral service with burial or cremation, Burns said. If they don’t choose that option, the hospital uses a cremation service supplied by local funeral homes.

The Mankato Clinic offers the same choices to women who miscarry, according to clinic spokeswoman Katie Nerem. Women diagnosed with an unviable pregnancy are given a booklet that explains the process and options available, Nerem said.

Brod applauds facilities that have a system in place for giving the information to women, but she said not all do.

“What this bill will do is just make sure that occurs in every clinic and in every situation,” she said.

During a committee hearing, Brod said she received bipartisan support and expects the same on the House floor.

Bonoff admits that she was concerned, before agreeing to sponsor the bill, that it might be used to instigate a debate about abortion. Because the Senate is controlled by abortion rights advocates, abortion opponents tend to raise the issue by attempting to attach amendments to other related legislation.

“I was nervous I was being set up,” said Bonoff, who nevertheless intends to move the bill forward in the 2008 session. “I do plan to go forward with it. I’m not going to be hesitant.”

Like Bonoff, Brod said she will withdraw the bill if abortion-related amendments are offered and has made that clear to her fellow pro-choice lawmakers.

“This is a pro-compassion issue for women and parents,” Brod said.

Six states have already passed similar laws.