Accessing Autonomy

What is the state of abortion access in our area, and what needs to be improved?

By: Jemma Keleher

What is the state of abortion access in our community and across the state? While the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade solidifies abortion access nationwide, the ongoing push for that ruling to be reversed creates the constant possibility that the right to legal abortion could fall. 

According to Maggie Meyer, Executive Director of Pro-Choice Minnesota, an organization on the front lines of the fight for legal abortion access in the upper Midwest, this year may bring drastic changes. “With Dobbs v. Jackson headed to the Supreme Court this year… I think Roe is going to be gutted or overturned,” she said. “I don’t think that we can depend on the protections of Roe.”

If Roe is overturned, Minnesota residents will still have access to abortion. “We have a state Supreme Court case called Doe v. Gomez from the nineties that solidified the right to an abortion as a constitutional right,” said Meyer. “It basically said that the government can’t… force any person who gets pregnant to choose one outcome for the pregnancy, whether that be termination of the pregnancy or carrying it to full term.”

While Minnesota residents would be safe from the downfall of Roe v. Wade, that isn’t the case in other states. In fact, Minnesota is the only state in the upper Midwest where legal abortion would still stand if Roe were overturned. States surrounding Minnesota anticipate the ruling’s reversal with plans to diminish abortion access entirely. 

“They have bans on abortion—some trigger bans and some bans that even predate Roe,” said Meyer. “That means… that when Roe is no longer considered a precedent of constitutional rights, abortion is not legal.” This would be a detriment to people seeking abortions in those states and would force them to travel to obtain pregnancy termination. “We’ll go from more than 60 clinics in the upper Midwest to the 8 that we have [in Minnesota].”

Even in Minnesota, there are threats to legal abortion access. Recently, a bill was brought to the state Senate floor that mirrors the Texas Heartbeat Act. “It uses the word female… and mentions the father as someone the abortion is being done to,” said Meyer. “It was introduced by a woman named Michele Benson, chair of the Health and Human Services Committee of the Senate, and is very likely to get a hearing.”

Despite this, Meyer has been assured that bills like that will not be heard outside of the Senate. “We have strong assurances from leadership in the House Health Finance and Policy Committee, Representative Tina Liebling, that they will not hear bills like that.” Despite this, the attack on abortion access in Minnesota still holds some weight. “It’s quite scary to see that level of aggression towards our right to choose an abortion.”

Even with the legality of abortion in Minnesota, numerous hurdles are in place that ensures abortions aren’t simple to obtain. “I think a lot of people perceive abortion as being easy to access in Minnesota, which is not necessarily true,” said Madelyn Cook, a junior at the University of Minnesota and a co-president of the University Pro-Choice Coalition. 

For students, there are logistical hindrances. “One main barrier, especially for University students, is transportation,” said Cook. “All of the abortion providers in Minneapolis are at least a few miles from campus. A lot of students don’t have cars or might not have bus passes.” In order to terminate a pregnancy, students may have to take extraneous measures just to get to the clinic. 

On a larger scale, any person obtaining an abortion has hoops to jump through that are put in place by anti-choice legislation. “You have to have two appointments to receive an abortion,” said Meyer. “It’s called the 24-hour waiting period. You have to have one appointment where you are counseled prior to your abortion, and then you’re able to schedule your actual abortion at that appointment.” 

This rule was created with the intention of derailing people from obtaining pregnancy termination and enforces the idea that abortion is always an emotionally laborious event. “It was created under the guise that people obtaining abortions should be counseled and really think about what they are doing,” said Meyer. In other words, it is a measure to show the person the apparent gravity of their choice—an expression of sexism codified into law by infantilizing people who can get pregnant and inserting legislators’ opinions into their most intimate healthcare decisions

Cook added to this, stating that in addition to emotional labor, the rule can create great inconvenience. “Some people carve out a very specific part of their day to go to one of these clinics, and then they have to wait 24 hours.” With this rule, a person must take time out of two separate days simply to receive counseling to go through with a decision they have likely already made.

Another mandated barrier to receiving an abortion is the requirement to listen to a doctor read a statutorily designed script before their procedure. “Every doctor must read [the script] to patients, which mentions things that are patently false, like a connection between abortion and breast cancer or ovarian cancer and the need for the father of the child to pay child support,” said Meyer. “It is completely medically inaccurate… and is based in hostile sexism.” Patients are subjected to lies and deceit in an effort to scare them out of going through with the procedure. 

For people under the age of 18, another rule has the potential to derail their access to abortion. “[Minnesota is] the only state in the entire country that requires two-parent consent for a minor to receive an abortion,” said Meyer. “Regardless of your relationship, you have to either receive written consent from both of your parents or you have to go through a judicial bypass process.”

If a minor wanted to obtain an abortion without their parent's consent, they would have to fill out forms explaining their situation in detail in order to get permission for the procedure. “It’s a pretty heavy lift for someone who is a minor, especially because all pregnancy care is time-sensitive,” said Meyer. 

In addition to the legal hoops put in place to derail abortions, numerous fake abortion clinics exist to spread anti-choice messages to people obtaining abortions. “These are state-funded ‘medical clinics’ that are not HIPAA bound and do not require a medical license,” said Meyer.

These clinics often operate near-real abortion clinics and draw patients in by offering free ultrasounds and care. In reality, they offer medical care that isn’t medical at all. “They don’t require licensed medical professional personnel,” said Meyer. “So they bill themselves as clinics, but they often don’t employ doctors. [There are] a couple where the main doctor is a dentist.”

These restrictions and ploys all serve one purpose: to stop people from getting abortions. But why is that a concern of the state? “I don’t believe this should be a political issue,” said Cook. “It’s a medical issue. It’s based upon making sure people get access to the healthcare they need regardless of circumstances.”

Cook went on to discuss the roots of people’s opinions on abortion access. “I think people who believe you should have autonomy over your body are people who should support abortion. A lot of people don’t support it for religious reasons, which I get, but the biggest thing is that it’s not about you. It’s about people being able to make decisions for themselves.”

So what can people do to ensure the right to abortion in Minnesota? “The number one thing people can do is fund people who are on the frontlines,” said Meyer. “Give to Pro-Choice Minnesota, who is at the Capitol. Give to Our Justice, who is funding abortions. Give to clinics like Planned Parenthood, Robbinsdale Clinic, P.A., Whole Woman’s Health, and WE Health in Duluth.”

Furthermore, people can use their voting and constituency power to protect abortion rights. “Talk to your legislators… show up and tell them that this is important,” said Meyer. Pro-Choice Minnesota also releases a voter guide on which candidates support abortion access, which is a tool to use before upcoming elections in November. “Make sure you are informed and get to the ballots.”