Minnesotans want access to abortion care
St. Paul, MN— Donald Trump, who has taken credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, is traveling to St. Cloud on Saturday. His allies want to ban abortion nationwide and have signaled they are coming for IVF and birth control next. Minnesota legislators have invested in sexual and reproductive health care and protected the right to abortion, but if politicians who oppose abortion gain power in DC, national attacks on access could supersede state protections. This would go against the will of Minnesotans, 67% of whom support abortion in all or most cases.
“Abortion is on the ballot in 2024. Donald Trump does not represent the majority of Minnesotans who support abortion access, and he does not represent Minnesotan values,” said Tim Stanley, executive director of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund. “The Trump-Vance presidential ticket is the biggest threat to reproductive freedom we’ve seen in generations. We remember what it was like when Trump’s administration defunded Title X and stacked the courts—we won’t go back. Politicians should not be able to deny people access to essential sexual and reproductive health care.”
While certain politicians in Minnesota and in neighboring states have pushed an extreme agenda to ban abortion and other essential health care, in the last two year the historic pro-choice trifecta protected access to abortion and gender-affirming care and passed bills to reduce barriers to care. Less than a month into the 2023 legislative session, the trifecta passed the Protect Reproductive Options Act, codifying the right to all reproductive services into state law, including abortion.
“It is critical to keep the historic pro-choice trifecta in office,” said Stanley. “We need to continue expanding access and reducing barriers to build on the historic progress that we’ve accomplished over the last two years.”
Just this week, Planned Parenthood Action Fund endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race. The Vice President made a historic visit to the St. Paul Planned Parenthood in March of this year as the first sitting vice president to go a health center that provides abortions. The stop was her sixth in her nationwide “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour. Vice President Harris also rejected proposals to enact a national abortion ban, while outlining the administration’s work to safeguard reproductive freedom since the overturning of Roe v. Wade over two years ago.
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Founded in 2003, the Planned Parenthood of Minnesota Political Action Fund (PPMPAF) is focused on electing reproductive and sexual health champions. The political work of PPMPAF helps Planned Parenthood North Central States care for its patients and educate the community by ensuring our elected in state and national legislatures will protect and strengthen access to patient-focused health care, increase access to inclusive, medically accurate sexuality education, and support laws Minnesotans need to thrive.
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