Gratitude for 10,000 Marchers Showing Up to Demand Reproductive Freedom for All
Thank you to our partners UnRestrict Minnesota, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and 11 others, the 200 volunteers, and an estimated 10,000 people who marched with us in Minneapolis Saturday, October 2, 2021 for #BansOffOuBodies: March for Reproductive Freedom. We joined more than 650 marches across the country to demand an end to the dangerous, escalating attacks on reproductive healthcare in this country. The magnitude of the response demonstrates what surveys have already indicated, that 74 percent of Minnesotans support to access abortion without restrictions.
The march began in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden with silver-haired people carrying signs they carried in the 1960s, toddlers wearing RGB t-shirts, and thousands of young people of all shapes, sizes, and colors crossing the pedestrian bridge to Loring Park for a program that included speakers and performers supporting reproductive justice.
Erin Maye Quade, from Gender Justice and UnRestrict, was the emcee. The newly formed Minnesota Freedom Caucus was there, along with leaders from social justice organizations and medical professionals who specialize in reproductive healthcare. The event began with Senator Amy Klobuchar asking us if we want to turn regular citizens into bounty hunters and invoking the spirit of Ruth Bader Ginsburg demanding that we codify Roe v. Wade into federal law. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and MN Senator Melissa Franzen reminded us what is at stake, how hard-fought our access to reproductive healthcare is, and why it’s important for Minnesotans to keep fighting for increased access for all. Several performers, musicians, poets, and social justice speakers inspired, empowered, and reminded us that the fight is for all of us.
The right to access and information on abortion is protected in the Minnesota Constitution but actions in Texas have spurred a national response. We stand with Women's March groups across the country to send a clear message to the Supreme Court and all those who seek to strip citizens of their rights, that reproductive rights are human rights. We know that the Supreme Court’s decision to let SB8 stand denies 85 percent of women seeking reproductive care the help they need. It cannot stand.
The Texas bill (SB8) bans abortion after six weeks. The worst part of SB8 is “Aid and Abet” which activates and rewards vigilante justice - empowering private citizens to sue anyone who helps a patient get an abortion and gives a reward of at least $10,000 if they successfully sue. This provision essentially deputizes anti-abortion extremists to enforce the state’s six-week abortion ban. Any individual in the state of Texas can sue anyone for exercising their constitutional right to access abortion care, even by counseling them or providing a ride to a clinic. If the plaintiff wins, the person they sue will be forced to pay them $10,000, at minimum. There is no penalty if the plaintiff loses.
Whether we live in Texas, Minnesota, or somewhere in between, we all need access to reproductive healthcare. Laws like SB8 in Texas and bans in states like Mississippi, Ohio, and Georgia target communities that survive systemic oppression. All people deserve access to healthcare, when they need it, in the community they live in and trust. Let’s remember this as we watch the Supreme Court begin oral arguments this week in a case that will determine the future of abortion rights for all Americans.
Want to relive the music of the day? You can find the Playlist of Spotify!
photo credit Anne Hodson 2021