Jerry Gale held a sign he had past down to him that is an old abortion rights sign as he joined about 250 people at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., on Monday, September 13, 2021, to show their support for abortion rights and to protest the Supreme Court’s recent decision on Texas’ 6-week abortion ban. (Renee Jones Schneider, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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In the days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, people from across Minnesota sought out UnRestrict Minnesota to share their experiences with abortion. Rewinding the events of their lives, they all paused on a pivotal moment when abortion allowed them to keep the story on track, or even change it for the better.

"I had an abortion in college," one person wrote. "If I had not gotten it, I would have been forced to quit school and lose my scholarship. If I had married my boyfriend, I most likely would have suffered physical abuse."

Another said, "I had an abortion almost 50 years ago, when I was single, with a college education but no clear direction for my life. Having a baby would have closed off so many possibilities and tied me to a role (motherhood) I never wanted. I went on to get a graduate degree, a rewarding career, and got married at 40."

For some, abortion meant the difference between life and death; others simply knew pregnancy was not an option.

Though each of these stories has unique circumstances, they have one theme in common. As one person wrote, "Abortion impacted my life. It gave me the right to my own future."

In Minnesota, that right is guaranteed under our state Constitution. But with more than half the states poised to outlaw or severely restrict abortion, resting in that reality is not enough. That's why UnRestrict Minnesota has released the "Minnesota Beyond Roe: Leadership Agenda for Abortion Access." This is the road map to ensure that we live up to our shared values and lead the way toward a new vision for reproductive health, rights and justice for our state, and for the United States after Roe. It centers on three main points: repealing restrictions, protecting patients and providers, and ensuring equity and affordability.

Repeal restrictions

Although abortion is a right in our state, Minnesota's laws are littered with abortion restrictions. These laws include: state-mandated anti-abortion counseling and the 24-hour waiting period; prohibitions on licensed, non-physician practitioners providing abortion care; the parental notification law; the requirement that tissue from abortions and miscarriages be cremated or buried; and the requirement that providers collect and submit their patients' personal information to state authorities. These laws increase costs, intimidate patients and prevent too many people from getting the care they need. We must repeal them.

Protect patients and providers from post-Roe attacks

Anti-abortion lawmakers in other states will almost certainly try to reach beyond their own borders and impose restrictions on people seeking abortion care in Minnesota. We must act now to protect our patients and providers, and those who come to Minnesota to get the care they need.

We can do this by:

Passing the Protect Reproductive Options (PRO) Act to ensure that the right to make reproductive health care decisions is protected by law.
Passing the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act to defend against out-of-state attacks on anyone in Minnesota seeking abortion care, and their providers.
Protecting people who opt to manage their abortions with telemedicine options.

Ensure equitable and affordable access to abortion care

Our right to an abortion means nothing if financial obstacles prevent us from getting the care we need. To make sure abortion is affordable, we must:

Guarantee public and private insurance coverage of abortion care, and backstop it with financial assistance for those who can't get coverage.
Make sure Minnesotans know the facts about their insurance and financial assistance options.
Support Minnesota's abortion funds and practical support organizations.
Protect and expand state funding for pregnancy support services that counsel patients on the full range of their options.
Ensure Medicaid recipients can access abortion by fixing Medicaid reimbursement rates.

Now that Roe is gone, we have reached a pivotal moment in our state's own story. We invite all Minnesotans to join us in writing the next chapter. Talk to your representatives. Support the "Minnesota Beyond Roe" agenda at unrestrictmn.org/agenda. And join UnRestrict Minnesota and partners from across the state for "Our Future: March for Abortion Access" on July 17.

Together we can meet this moment head-on as a beacon of compassion, care and personal freedom — not only for our fellow Minnesotans, but for everyone who deserves the right to their own future.

Abena Abraham, of St. Paul, is campaign director for UnRestrict Minnesota.