Minneapolis, MN – On September 10, 40 people rallied to protest predatory anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy center” First Care. This marks the fifth protest of a First Care facility organized by the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC) as part of their campaign to expose the deceptive and manipulative practices of these facilities.

During the protest, Jay Belsito, a member of UnRestrict MN and Gender Justice, recalled their experience with an anti-abortion center as a pregnant teenager in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They were misled about how far along they were in their pregnancy and given fake ultrasound images, a common tactic used to prevent people from making informed choices about their bodies and their health.

Belsito also said CPCs are funded by white Evangelical organizations and frequently target oppressed nationalities. She also drew attention to Keith Ellison’s August 2023 consumer alert in which he defined them as “private organizations that seek to prevent people from accessing abortion care as well as contraceptives.”

“It is absolutely essential that immigrants are not left out of this conversation,” said Sophie Breen, on behalf of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC). “Crisis pregnancy centers that are in predominantly immigrant neighborhoods like this one are intentionally deceptive.” She called for accurate communication to be published in not only English but also in the languages of local communities such as Spanish, Somali and Hmong.

“Let’s look at the strategic placement [of First Care],” explained Sarah Berlin, representing MNAAC. “We are right in the center of Minneapolis and just a walk away from both Franklin and Chicago Avenues, two metro transit streets. This accessibility is not a mistake,” she continued.

Kristen Bledsoe echoed these sentiments, sharing that she was raised in an Evangelical family who supported the harmful messages of shame and fear employed by CPCs like First Care to rob people of their bodily autonomy. She demanded that the federal money still going to CPCs should be withdrawn and reinvested in more meaningful ways for communities.

“It’s important to work for justice whether it’s in Phillips or it’s in Palestine,” explained Meredith Aby-Keirstead of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC). “Many people across the country tonight are watching the Harris-Trump debate, and one of the main topics will be abortion and healthcare. Tim Walz is on the ticket and it’s important to point out that he’s been an ally to this particular movement,” Aby-Keirstead said. “While we agree with him on that, we are discouraged, disgusted, and outraged that Tim Walz and Kamala Harris have been silent when children have been born and then bombed on the same day in Gaza.”

Robyn Harbison, representing the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), recalled that it was under Biden and Harris that we lost Roe: “They want to continue lining their pockets and making false promises to you.”

Harbison ended with a call to action, “We helped lead the march of 10,000 that took Washington Avenue when Roe was overturned, we marched on the DNC in the tens of thousands, and we will continue to lead the struggle to demand bodily autonomy for all and money for human needs, right in the Phillips neighborhood, right now!”

A small group of anti-abortion protesters were present, holding signs with religious messaging and signs claiming that abortion is an unambiguous evil.

Despite the counterprotest, the community responded positively to the pro-abortion messaging of the event. Motorists honked and cheered as they drove by, pedestrians expressed vocal support, and people in the park across from first care clapped and expressed positive sentiments about the protest.

This protest was organized by the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC) and endorsed by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), MN Anti-War Committee (AWC), UnRestrict MN, Gender Justice, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

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