Minneapolis, MN – 30 supporters of reproductive rights rallied at May Day Plaza on January 6 to demand that the Supreme Court uphold the existing status of the drug mifepristone.

On December 13, 2023, the United States Supreme Court agreed to review a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit. If upheld, the lower court ruling would only allow access to the drug via direct prescription from a doctor – preventing online ordering, mail delivery, and pharmacy dispensing of abortion pills. It would also restrict the time to access pills from ten weeks to seven weeks.

“In the state of Minnesota – which is supposedly a sanctuary state for abortion – there are only eight in-person abortion clinics, five of which are located within the Twin Cities. Because of this, folks rely on the accessibility of abortion care through mail delivery,” explained Robynne Johnson, a member of the MN Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC).

Johnson further detailed the additional barriers to abortion imposed by the predatory practices of anti-abortion centers, commonly known as crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), which deepens the crisis of abortion accessibility. Johnson continued, saying that CPS “are funded and operated by right-wing Christian organizations with the intent to guilt folks into not getting an abortion. They are not medically licensed professionals, and they do not adhere to prevailing medical standards. They have been proven to provide biased, misleading and inaccurate sexual and reproductive health information in service of their goals.”

Carolyn Hadke, a member of MNAAC and a menstrual health educator, spoke on the hypocritical goals of pro-life politicians, saying, “If they wanted us to be safe, we’d have paid parental leave, health care, childcare, clean drinking water for everyone. We wouldn’t have over 24 states banning abortion, unaffordable health care, people who are unhoused, a militarized border and our tax dollars funding Israel’s genocide in Palestine.”

The “Defend Mifepristone Protest” was organized by the MN Abortion Action Committee, with endorsements from the MN Anti-War Committee, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar, the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, and several other organizations.

#MinneapolisMN #WomensMovement #ReproductiveJustice #AbortionRights #MNAAC