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.
The Reproductive Health Access Project (RHAP) is a national movement of primary care clinicians focused on protecting and expanding access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare (including but not limited to abortion, contraception, and early pregnancy loss care) in their communities and across the country. Led by resident and community family medicine physicians, the Minnesota cluster of RHAP builds connections between pro-choice primary care clinicians living across the state, creating spaces for peer-to-peer support, clinical discussion, and training.
Q&A
Below, one of the current leaders of the Minnesota cluster, Dr. Laura Lara, shares more about RHAP’s work to expand access to reproductive healthcare, the importance of training and mobilizing clinicians to advocate for equitable access in their communities and at the state legislature, and the vital role of coalition-building in furthering reproductive justice: in Minnesota, and beyond.
Could you tell us a little bit about your work?
RHAP is a national organization that supports and trains clinicians to help improve access to reproductive healthcare – especially abortion, contraception, and miscarriage management. Different states have their own “clusters,” and I’m one of the two current leaders of the Minnesota cluster. Our cluster focuses on all aspects of reproductive justice—so the right to have a child, the right to not have a child, and the right to raise your children in a safe environment. This means we work on gendercare, counteracting racism, addressing pollution, and much more.
Why is this work important to take on in Minnesota?
Minnesota is an island right now. We are a relatively safer place to get an abortion or to be transgender, for example. Reproductive justice work is important EVERYWHERE, but Minnesota specifically needs to stay safe so that people still have somewhere they can go, if able to travel. Hopefully we can lead by example, as well.
Why did you join the UnRestrict Minnesota coalition?
UnRestrict does the crucial work of making change at the legislative level. RHAP is training and mobilizing clinicians on the ground, and UnRestrict is engaging in advocacy, education, law and putting us clinicians to work! They ensure we are meeting with lawmakers and helping get laws passed that will benefit everyone with the ability to become pregnant or who wishes to raise children.
What is your vision for achieving full reproductive justice in Minnesota?/What does achieving full reproductive justice in Minnesota mean to you?
FULL reproductive justice, for me specifically, is pretty extensive! It would mean embracing anti-racism by changing the entire system from the ground up, commiting to immigrant rights (regardless of documentation status), ending gun trauma, treating fertility/gendercare/abortion as basic healthcare, ending police violence, dismantling ableism, demanding respect regardless of body size/substance use/education level/native language/religion/lack of religion, and seriously addressing the rights of Native people, especially given that all of this work is happening on Native land. So like, just a few small things.
How can people get engaged with your work?
Come to our monthly meetings and subscribe to our email! We are a very passionate, kind, and welcoming group and we would love to hear your perspectives. Go to this website and sign up for one of our upcoming meetings.