Minnesotans rally for bodily autonomy on the anniversary of the Dobbs Decision

St. Paul, MN – Around 50 people rallied outside Birthright, a crisis pregnancy center in Saint Paul the evening of Wednesday, June 24. The protest comes on the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. This decision ended federal abortion protection, thus leaving abortion regulation to the individual states. Birthright, the target of the protest, is a crisis pregnancy center. Crisis pregnancy centers are projects with the primary mission to block access to abortion services.

In Minnesota, abortion is legal, protected and accessible at all stages of pregnancy, but with neighboring states banning abortion outright, people are forced to travel to Minnesota, or carry out pregnancies against their will. Federal cuts to Medicaid have forced the closure of four Planned Parenthood locations in Minnesota (Alexandria, Bemidji, Richfield and Apple Valley). Planned Parenthood serves as the only providers of reproductive healthcare in some rural and underserved areas.

Aizar Cabrera of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee stated, “Today, we’re seeing children who have been kidnapped by ICE turn up pregnant due to sexual assault. These children have then been forcefully relocated to Texas, a state with some of the most strict abortion restrictions, only made possible after Roe v. Wade was repealed in 2022.” Cabrera is referring to over a dozen pregnant unaccompanied minors who were sent to a single facility located in the small border city of San Benito, Texas. “We know this is not a coincidence,” said Cabrera, in response to these pregnant minors being sent to a state with a total ban on abortion.

The rally was organized by the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump. Speakers at the event included members of the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Twin Cities for Justice, the advocacy and organizing manager of Gender Justice, and a health care worker. All speakers talked about the need for bodily autonomy for all.

The rally ended with the crowd chanting, “We won’t back down from this fight – abortion is a human right!” Traffic on Snelling Avenue honked along, some in solidarity and some in disapproval of the crowd’s plea for widespread protection of reproductive rights.

#StPaulMN #MN #WomensMovement #LGBTQ #ReproductiveRights #Abortion #RoeVWade