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Minnesota voters prove the power of the ballot box in protecting abortion rights • Minnesota Reformer [1]

['Jessica Mackler', 'More From Author', 'April']

Date: 2024-04-02

Recently, Vice President Kamala Harris met with staff members at a Planned Parenthood in the Twin Cities, making history as the first U.S. president or vice president to visit an abortion provider. There is power in this moment: The VP using her platform to keep abortion at the forefront of a presidential campaign, where it should be.

The 2024 election carries extraordinary stakes for abortion rights in America after the fall of Roe v. Wade and with Donald Trump, who wants a nationwide abortion ban, gunning for the White House.

It’s also powerful that the VP’s historic stop occurred in Minnesota, which has become a safe haven for reproductive health care in the Midwest as more states restrict reproductive freedom in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Emboldened by the fall of Roe, Republican extremists across the country — many in states bordering Minnesota — enacted draconian abortion bans that restrict freedom and place decisions about our bodies, families and futures in the hands of politicians. Today, one in three women of reproductive age live in a state with an abortion ban.

That’s why we must fight back at the ballot box and elect abortion rights champions.

In Minnesota, voters protected reproductive freedom by reelecting Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and flipping the state Legislature, which enshrined the right to abortion in state law. Further, recognizing its role in protecting women from neighboring states, lawmakers passed legislation that shields those seeking or providing abortions in Minnesota from laws in other states. As VP Harris reaffirmed in her remarks outside the St. Paul Planned Parenthood, elections matter, and Minnesota proves that.

VP Harris also reminded Minnesotans that Republicans’ attack on reproductive freedom goes beyond abortion, including forcing closures of health care facilities, leaving thousands of women with little to no access to essential health care.

As we’re seeing in states like Alabama and Minnesota’s neighbor, Iowa, the reality of a post-Roe America means other aspects of reproductive health care, like in-vitro fertilization, are at stake. Despite more than 80% of Americans favoring access to IVF, Republicans are waging an attack on the most personal decisions people can make. Republican candidates know their positions are unpopular, and, as the election cycle continues, they will try to downplay their extremism. Voters must hold them accountable.

While some Republicans may soften their public message around abortion, their records should concern us. After all, Donald Trump is bragging about his role in overturning Roe v. Wade — something he promised to do back in 2016. He’s expressed his plans to enact a nationwide abortion ban and has aligned himself with those who want to reduce access to contraceptives and imperil IVF.

Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris campaign launched an unapologetic campaign to center reproductive freedom. This effort, led by VP Harris, sends a strong signal to Minnesotans and voters across the country about who will fight for their freedoms. The Biden-Harris administration also backs their words up with actions: three Executive Orders and a Presidential Memorandum focused on protecting reproductive freedom.

The GOP’s plans are clear: Republicans will continue to chip away at our most basic, fundamental rights and force upon us an America where tomorrow’s daughters have fewer rights than they do today.

That’s why every day between now and election day, in every state, local, and federal election, we need to show up for pro-choice champions to ensure the right to make decisions about our health and our families is left to us. At EMILYs List, we’ve been supporting pro-choice women for nearly 40 years because we know that the best way to protect reproductive freedom is by electing candidates who will fight for our rights. This November, Minnesotans can protect abortion rights, not just in the White House, but also the state House, reelect Sen. Amy Klobuchar and House Democrats like Rep. Angie Craig, and elect state Sen. Kelly Morrison — an OB/GYN — to represent Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House.

Minnesota is and can continue to be a shining example of what happens when voters turn out and elect unwavering advocates for reproductive freedom.

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[1] Url: https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/04/02/minnesota-voters-prove-the-power-of-the-ballot-box-in-protecting-abortion-rights/

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