Statement on the Third Anniversary of the Overturning of Roe v. Wade
Three years ago, the United States Supreme Court made a decision that stripped fundamental human rights from millions of people. Overturning Roe v. Wade was a calculated, violent attack on bodily autonomy – on women, trans and nonbinary people, and all birthing people.
In the United States, laws have been used to regulate and control women’s bodily autonomy, economic agency, and societal value for generations. Men’s bodies are not regulated by law, and women’s shouldn’t be either. Thanks to incredible women who’ve come before us, Roe v. Wade was a landmark Supreme Court decision that affirmed the constitutional right to have an abortion. But no court case should ever have been necessary to declare that such a right exists – autonomy over our bodies should never have been up for interpretation.
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision removed the protections that our mothers and grandmothers fought for. They took away the fundamental human right for people to access health care and make decisions about their own bodies. The decision was a moral failure – an act of violence with intentional cruelty – and I renew my uncompromising commitment to meet this moment with unrelenting action. I strongly reject the notion that I, or anyone else, should have fewer rights than our mothers did, and yet that is the case.
What’s happening now – right here at home
Since the ruling in 2022, the consequences have been devastating: critical care sites have shut down; health care workers have faced harassment and countless legal threats that further dehumanize us. People seeking care–and the loved ones who help them navigate these systems–are also being criminalized, and people are being forced to travel hundreds of miles for care they should be entitled to in their own communities.
As always, the pain falls hardest on those already marginalized: Black and Indigenous women face the worst outcomes, with disproportionate harm in communities of color, low-income families, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and youth. This is not just an attack on reproductive rights, it is an attack on entire communities and the basic liberty to make decisions about one’s own body. I know how inaccessible and unaffordable it can be already for women of color and underserved communities to seek care, so it will take all of us coming together to advocate strongly against these destructive policies.
Hennepin receives over $1 billion in Medicaid funding to support our human services programs and a broad range of health care offerings. Proposed Medicaid cuts from the federal level could strip millions of dollars from Minnesota’s reproductive health system. If these proposals pass, they will decimate access to gender-affirming care, abortion, contraception, and STI testing–especially for those already facing barriers to care. And this year, the current federal administration led an action to withhold already-approved Title X funds, which support family planning and preventative healthcare services for low-income, uninsured, and underserved communities.
Because of these federal attacks on reproductive health funding, four Planned Parenthood clinics in Minnesota will shut down today on July 1, 2025, including one right here in Hennepin County. These clinics offer much more than abortion care – they provide STI testing, contraception, pregnancy support, cancer screenings, and gender-affirming services. In addition to losing access to essential health care, federal freezes and cuts are resulting in mass layoffs, health professionals losing their jobs, and their households becoming destabilized.
What I’m doing – and what comes next
I have lived the majority of my life with these rights and the ability to access reproductive health care. Since I was in middle school, I have donated to abortion funds, I have supported friends and loved ones at clinics during times of high emotion and stress, and I have fought for health care access for everyone. Whether the government agrees or not, people will continue to get abortions and make choices about their own bodies, and doing so needs to be safe, legal, and accessible.
In 2022 prior to the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, I authored the Board Resolution that ensured the County and its contracted providers affirmed the gender identity and expression for residents, workers, and clients receiving county services. In 2023 during the legislative Trifecta, I testified in support of Minnesota’s PRO Act which successfully codified reproductive rights into state law. Since 2022, the Hennepin County Board has allocated $7 million toward abortion access, gender-affirming care, and birth justice.
I am incredibly grateful to my colleagues on the Hennepin County Board for centering equity in our funding, however, given the intensifying dynamic against birthing, trans, and nonbinary people – it is clear that all people and governments must do more. For the health and wellbeing of our communities, it is necessary to partner toward urgent solutions for community-based reproductive health centers, especially in areas affected by clinic closures. We must expand access to telehealth and mobile care. Strong investment must be made in contraceptive access, maternal health, abortion navigation services, and STI testing–because reproductive justice is public health.
On this painful anniversary, I’m asking you to join me – in grief, in outrage, and in action. This moment must be met with an unshakable belief that people deserve full control over their lives and bodies. Let’s continue to urge all public officials, from local seats to state lawmakers to Congress – that we must fight against and reject federal cruelty. Call on institutions to fund reproductive health where federal dollars fall short, and protect abortion and gender-affirming care in Minnesota. Make your voice heard. Support your local clinics. Refuse to be silent and fight for change. And here in Hennepin County, we will continue to lead where others retreat.