As a community-supported public awareness campaign, UnRestrict Minnesota is driven by the solidarity and leadership of its community partners. Together, these advocates, health care providers, lawyers, union members, artists, and concerned citizens are advancing every Minnesotan’s right to access abortion care in our state.
Our Justice is a reproductive justice organization and abortion fund providing direct financial and logistical support for people seeking abortion care. Since its founding in 1967, Our Justice has always worked to provide people with the resources they need now, while also advocating for policy changes that would make these resources more available and remove many of these challenges altogether.
Q&A
Below, Our Justice staff share more about the legacy and future of Our Justice, from their role as plaintiffs in the Minnesota Supreme Court case that established Minnesota’s constitutional protections for abortion care, to the importance of coalition building, to the vision of reproductive justice and community care that animates their work.
Could you tell us a little bit about your work/organization?
Our Justice is Minnesota’s largest abortion fund and reproductive justice organization. We seek to break down all barriers to abortion and reproductive care by providing direct financial and logistical support for abortion patients, running a free Plan B text line, and engaging in legal and political advocacy informed by client needs. We fund abortion appointments and lodging for patients seeking care at all of Minnesota’s abortion providers and one independent clinic in Iowa, and to Minnesotans who need to access care out of state. We also provide referrals to patients outside of our service area.
Why is this work important to take on in Minnesota?
Minnesota is quickly becoming a hub for patients traveling across the country. Abortion is basic health care that should be accessible to everyone when they need it, in their own community. As the impacts of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and state-level abortion bans continue to ripple across the country, abortion will become even more inaccessible to people who do not have the funds to travel for multiple days, secure childcare, and lose wages to access abortion care. When people of color, people with low incomes, queer and trans people, and people with disabilities can’t access the basic reproductive health care they need, it sends a message that they are less deserving of bodily autonomy and dignity. While it’s an imperfect solution, we believe in sending a clear message that abortion is legal in Minnesota, and that there is a community of people ready to help you access the care you need.
Why did you join the UnRestrict Minnesota coalition?
We joined the UnRestrict Minnesota coalition to fight for reproductive justice with a wide range of tactics and allies. Our coalition is made up of abortion providers, abortion funds, lawyers, doulas, policy experts, and so many more. It’s a true model of the world we want to build—a world where people from all walks of life are invested in bodily autonomy and reproductive health care access, and where an individual’s ability to access abortion is directly connected to our collective liberation. We also wanted to continue the legacy of Doe v. Gomez, a court case where we served as plaintiffs to establish Minnesota’s strong constitutional protections for abortion care.
What is your vision for achieving full reproductive justice in Minnesota; or, what does achieving full reproductive justice in Minnesota mean to you?
In our vision of reproductive justice, all pregnancy options are easily accessed, free from stigma, and fully supported by people’s communities. Abortion is recognized as a sacred, deeply personal decision that’s treated with love and care. Black women no longer die at three times the rate of white women during childbirth, and instead have access to a full range of dignified birthing options. Childcare, birth control, and pregnancy care are readily available whenever and wherever people need them. We work towards this vision at Our Justice by putting resources directly in the hands of people who need to access abortion care and by centering the needs of our clients in every legal and policy advocacy project we undertake.
How can people get engaged with your work?
Our Justice has a range of volunteer opportunities, from short-term opportunities like tabling at events or data entry to longer term commitments like administering our abortion assistance and lodging fund. Learn more here.