ST PAUL, Minn. — A moment of prayer began the day on Sunday as hundreds of anti-abortion advocates marched around the Minnesota State Capitol, coming together on the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
"It's important to be here to show that there is an alternative to an abortion," said Alisan Engle, who attended the march.
Roe v. Wade established a national right to abortion that the Supreme Court rolled back in June.
"Just seven months ago, the U.S. Supreme Court redeemed itself, overturning that heinous decision," said Cathy Blaeser, with Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life.
"The landscape for abortion rights and access in the US has really become an extreme patchwork and the upper Midwest is a really good example of that," said Megan Peterson, with Gender Justice.
Abortion rights in Minnesota are already protected under a 1995 state Supreme Court ruling that declared the procedure is safeguarded under the state constitution.
Peterson said following the court's decision, access to care has never been more vital.
"We are fortunate here in Minnesota that our laws actually do align with Minnesotan's values and their beliefs," she said.
Senator Amy Klobuchar also issued a statement online, saying:
"Fifty years ago, Roe v. Wade was decided. Women had the right to make their own healthcare decisions. And now they don't. My daughter now has less rights than her mom or grandma did. I'm not giving up."
But as Democratic state leaders work to codify abortion rights into state law, both sides say their work is far from over.
"I think abortion hurts women, it takes advantage of women and I think we should put our resources into life," said Engle.
"We are now in this new environment looking to make sure all our laws and state statutes match that Supreme Court decision and match Minnesotans' beliefs and values on abortion and remove old abortion restrictions off the books, once and for all," said Peterson.
Last week, the Minnesota House passed a fast-track bill to codify abortion rights into state statutes by a vote of 69-65.
The bill, titled “Protect Reproductive Options Act,” will now head to the state Senate.
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