What Do You Know About Reproductive Rights in MN?
Abortion is unlikely to go away in Minnesota any time soon, but anti-abortion legislators and supporters continually chip away at those rights. Restricting abortion rights disporportionately impacts BIPOC and poor communities. So we all need to step up. There is no true reproductive freedom until everyone has access.
The first step we can take to protect our rights? Know them and make sure the people around us know them too!
How many clinics in Minnesota provide abortion services?
There are eight abortion providers in Minnesota which are highly concentrated around our largest cities: 6 in Minneapolis/St. Paul and one each in Rochester and Duluth. One provider (Just the Pill) offers telemedicine services virtually. The drive for a Minnesotan in need of reproductive healthcare can be five hours, one way. (Learn more)
What will happen in Minnesota if Roe v Wade is overturned?
Abortion will remain legal in Minnesota. The state’s highest court has recognized the right to abortion under the Minnesota Constitution. (Learn more)
But that doesn’t mean our access is guaranteed. What are the restrictions on access to abortion in Minnesota?
As of January 1, 2021, the following restrictions on abortion were in effect:
Patient must receive state-directed counseling, including information designed to discourage abortion. (Learn more)
Patient must wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided. (Learn more)
If the patient is a minor, both parents must be notified before the procedure is provided. (Learn more)
An abortion may be performed at or after viability only if the patient’s life or health is endangered. (Learn more)
How many fake health centers exist to persuade patients not to have an abortion?
There are 98 fake health centers. They attract “patients” by promoting options or choices for women, but they exist expressly to dissuade abortion. Many are run by people without medical training or licensure. They dole out information that promotes anti-abortion views over healthcare for the patients. (Learn more)
If abortion is protected by the MN Constitution, does that mean no more legislation?
No. Since 1995, 400 anti-abortion bills have been introduced in the Minnesota legislature.
What is the Women’s Right to Know Act?
It requires doctors who provide abortion care to give Minnesotans medically irrelevant and politically biased information before patients are allowed to get care, whether the doctor agrees with the information or thinks that it is helpful to the patient. (Learn more)
The law also mandates that doctors direct patients to medically inaccurate information hosted on government websites, and mandates health care providers tell patients about the man’s responsibility to pay child support, as well as tell patients they may be eligible for medical assistance even if they are not. (Learn more)
What information does a patient need to provide to get an abortion?
Age, race, marital status, education level, and income level of the patient, how many children the patient has, the number of previous abortions and miscarriages the patient has had, and how the patient is paying for the abortion. (Learn more)
thanks to Unrestrict MN and other reproductive rights orgs for providing invaluable information on this topic