Stop crisis pregnancy centers, support your local abortion clinics, and more news
August 1, 2024
Here’s what’s new with UnRestrict Minnesota:
NEW UnRestrict Minnesota Resource: Avoiding Crisis Pregnancy Centers
Masquerading as pregnancy resources or maternal wellness centers, “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs) spread misinformation and stoke fear in the hopes of dissuading people from learning about their options for an abortion (and birth control).
These anti-abortion facilities are not legitimate medical clinics and do not provide comprehensive medical and prenatal care to their visitors. Instead, they are part of a broader, well-funded movement aimed at obstructing pregnant peoples’ access to abortion information and care.
That’s why we put together this resource: check out the UnRestrict Minnesota guide to finding a legitimate clinic.
Help Keep Robbinsdale Clinic Open!
Robbinsdale Clinic, P.A. has played a key role in the state’s abortion access landscape for decades, but state medical assistance reimbursement rates have been kept so low that the ability of independent clinics like Robbinsdale to provide abortion care is in peril.
As the UnRestrict Minnesota coalition continues to urge the Legislature to increase reimbursement rates, today we are asking our community to support Robbinsdale Clinic so that their doors remain open and patients can continue to rely on them for care.
You can find the GoFundMe for Robbinsdale Clinic here – any donation helps!
Iowa’s Abortion Ban Now in Effect
As of this week, one of the strictest abortion laws in the country went into effect right next door in Iowa.
Overnight, people lost access to essential healthcare services. While we continue to fight for wide availability of telemedicine and mail-order abortion pills, it is also crystal clear that we MUST maintain the fight to protect and expand abortion access in Minnesota — the closest option for so many of our neighbors.
New Reproductive Justice Policy in Hennepin County
We applaud the action by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office to cease prosecuting pregnant people for drug use. Rather than focusing on criminalization, the office will instead redirect their efforts toward providing support, treatment, and prenatal care—truly a meaningful and important step towards reproductive justice.
“Punitive measures and coercion only serve to strip pregnant people of their bodily autonomy, jeopardize pregnancy outcomes, and make families less safe,” says Jess Braverman, Gender Justice legal director. “The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office is taking a positive step towards decriminalizing pregnancy and dismantling the health care to prison pipeline.”
Coalition Partner Events and Opportunities
UnRestrict Minnesota is a coalition campaign made up of over 30 organizations committed to protecting and expanding abortion access. Check out these upcoming opportunities to deepen your involvement and learn more about our partners!
- Virtual Crisis Pregnancy Center Teach-In
Our partners at Gender Justice have teamed up with activists from the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee for another teach-in on “crisis pregnancy centers”: these sessions have been so popular they’re bringing the next one online, so you can attend no matter where you live.
Wednesday, August 21, 6:30–8:00 p.m. - Summer Fundraiser To Celebrate and Fund Abortion Access
UnRestrict Minnesota coalition partner WE Health Clinic, the only abortion provider in Northern Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, presents Summer Sounds at Duluth Cider, 2307 W Superior St, Duluth.
Saturday, August 24 from 6-8 p.m. - Volunteer Opportunity with Harm Reduction Sisters
Harm Reduction Sisters, an UnRestrict Minnesota coalition partner, will host its annual International Overdose Awareness Day event at the Central Hillside Community Center, 12 E 4th St, in Duluth. This event is family-friendly and free to the public.
Saturday, August 24 from 4-7 p.m.