Statement from UnRestrict Minnesota Campaign Director Abena Abraham on the 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

January 22, 2023 (St. Paul, MN): Today we mark what would have been the 50th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court last June. The court’s devastating decision to eliminate our federal constitutional right to abortion has opened the floodgates to allow states across the country to ban abortion and created a national health crisis.

Access to care has never been more vital. One in three women of reproductive age in the U.S. — and more trans and nonbinary people — no longer have access to abortion in their state. The harmful effects of abortion bans stretch beyond abortion care. It’s now harder for people to get lifesaving medical care for miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and other pregnancy-related complications.

While this Roe Anniversary marks a reminder of what we’ve lost, this is also a reminder that, as reproductive justice partners have long said, Roe was always the floor — not the ceiling. As we now reimagine what is possible for our communities, we remain committed to ensuring that those who were left out of the conversations 50 years ago are included today and beyond.

Abortion care is vital health care and must be available to anyone who needs it, wherever they live, whoever they are, however much they make. That is why the UnRestrict Minnesota coalition has fiercely advocated for the repeal of Minnesota’s onerous restrictions on abortion care, and why we are advancing legislation at the Capitol to protect and expand access.

Today this remains unchanged: our unwavering commitment to fighting for abortion rights and access to full reproductive healthcare in Minnesota and across the country.