Reproductive Rights Forum

Indivisible Bemidji recently held a Reproductive Rights Forum with online guest speakers from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund in St. Paul. We partnered with other Indivisible chapters from northern Minnesota, including Arrowhead Indivisible (Grand Marais), Itasca Area Indivisible, and Northern Progressives. Fifty online and in-person participants learned about Minnesota reproductive-rights policy and what we can do to ensure our state and our nation can protect women’s right to choose.

Some key takeaways:

  • The national situation is perilous: The 2022 U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade and gave states the ability to ban and restrict abortion. The court ruled 5-4, overturning 50 years of precedent.
  • Some states have enacted draconian laws that force pregnant women to give birth under any circumstances.
  • Minnesota was the first state to pass legislative protections for abortion and reproductive health care after the fall of Roe.
  • Currently, Minnesota has a pro-choice trifecta (Governor, House of Representatives, and the State Senate). However, the current split on abortion policy in the MN House of Representatives is slim: 69 pro-choice and 65 anti-choice.
  • Participants posed questions to our guest speakers, who urged us to take action:
    • write to our local newspapers
    • talk to our neighbors and friends
    • contact our elected officials
    • vote for pro-choice candidates!
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