THE STATE OF ABORTION.

There have been SO many abortion bills, bans, and Supreme Court cases lately - so let's get them straight. What are they, and what do they mean for Minnesota?

  • Doe v. Gomez

    a 1995 Minnesota Supreme Court case which says that the state cannot favor one pregnancy outcome over another. This case made it so that state funds CAN go towards abortion, through avenues such as state Medical Assistance. That being said, the state makes it really difficult to be reimbursed, so we still have work to do here.

  • The Hyde Amendment

    Think Doe v. Gomez, but the opposite, and national. This amendment is NOT a constitutional amendment, but is instead voted on every year and prohibits federal funding for abortion. It COULD be vetoed by the President, but hasn't ever been. This affects soldiers, veterans, people on Medicare and Medicaid, federal employees, and many more. It primarily impacts BIPOC and low-income folks.

  • Roe v. Wade

    You know this one! A 1973 United States Supreme Court case that made it so that abortion is a federally protected right. Some states had legal abortion before Roe - like Minnesota! If (and at this point, when) Roe falls, some states - like Minnesota! - will still have legal abortion.

  • Planned Parenthood v. Casey

    a 1992 United States Supreme Court Case that made it possible for states to introduce many abortion bans, such as informed consent and a 24 hour waiting period. While this case technically upheld Roe, it simultaneously upheld many of the abortion restrictions being challenged (and still does today, even in Minnesota).

  • SB8

    SB8 - The Texas abortion ban, passed in 2021, which bans abortion after 6 weeks. A 6 week ban effectively bans more than 80% of abortions. Not to mention that most people don't know they're pregnant at 6 weeks.

    (Fun fact - a 6 week pregnancy doesn't mean you're pregnant for 6 weeks, it means you're 6 weeks after your last period. You could have only been pregnant for 2 weeks, and still be 6 weeks pregnant. Confusing, right?).

  • Dobbs v. Jackson

    You've heard us talk about this one. This case is being deliberated right now at the United States Supreme Court, and is challenging a 15 week ban in Mississippi. There are a few ways this could go.

    • They could say that the 15 week ban is unconstitutional due to Roe v. Wade (unlikely, given the makeup of the court).

    • They could uphold the 15 week ban and keep Roe in place, but effectively gutting it.

    • Or they could completely overturn Roe.

So what happens if Roe is overturned or gutted? 

Minnesota will become the only state in the Upper Midwest with legal and accessible abortion (though keep in mind, we have a long road to go on accessibility). Our surrounding states have trigger bans or pre-Roe restrictions, which would automatically go into place if and when Roe is overturned. The Guttmacher Institute estimates that we - Minnesota - would see an increase of 371% of people seeking abortion care when this occurs. 

We have to protect abortion laws here at home - not just for Minnesotans, but for the entirety of the Upper Midwest. You know what's coming next - please donate to support our work. We cannot do this without you.