Doe v. Minnesota:
Court Allows Case Challenging Abortion Restrictions to Proceed
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2020
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Earlier today, a state district court judge issued a ruling (attached) allowing a legal challenge to Minnesota’s harmful and unconstitutional abortion restrictions to proceed, and denying the state’s motion to dismiss.
Doe v. Minnesota was filed in May 2019 in the Second Judicial District by Our Justice, the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis and two health care providers who believe that Minnesota’s laws harm their patients. They are represented by Gender Justice and the Lawyering Project.
“Today’s ruling is a step in the right direction toward a Minnesota where our rights and dignity are valued,” said Shayla Walker, Vision Realization Advisor for Our Justice. “At Our Justice, we see first-hand the real harm Minnesotans face when they can’t get the health care they need, and that’s why we will continue to fight these discriminatory abortion restrictions.”
“Unitarian Universalists envision a world where everyone has meaningful access to reproductive health care, and today’s ruling brings us closer toward that vision,” said Rev. Kelli Clement, Social Justice Minister at First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis. “At First Unitarian, we will continue to work for compassion and justice in our most personal decisions.”
The Minnesota Constitution provides strong legal protections for people who want to end their pregnancies, and by the 1995 Minnesota Supreme Court decision Doe v. Gomez.
“Abortion access is essential to the health and safety of Minnesotans. We can’t achieve gender equity without the freedom to decide when or how to start or grow our families,” said Gender Justice Executive Director Megan Peterson. “Today’s decision is a critical step forward in our fight to repeal the unconstitutional, medically unnecessary abortion restrictions that stand in the way of Minnesotans’ essential right to make decisions about our own bodies.”
“Today’s ruling rightfully respects the state constitution, which provides strong legal protections for abortion access,” said Amanda Allen, Senior Counsel & Director at the Lawyering Project. “Outdated restrictions that have no basis in science or medical evidence have no place in Minnesota, and we are confident they will ultimately be struck down by the court.”
The lawsuit is supported by the UnRestrictMN campaign, a community-driven public awareness campaign that aims to educate and motivate Minnesotans to stay informed about their rights and access to abortion care. The campaign includes an unprecedented coalition of nearly two dozen organizations that represent a broad spectrum of Minnesotans from every corner of the state.
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