[[link removed]]

Dear John,

Rural healthcare providers and hospitals are under attack from abortion bans.

We must fight back. [[link removed]]

Abortion bans are causing OB/GYNs to leave states for fear of civil or criminal repercussions, especially in rural areas [[link removed]] . Abortion bans exacerbate existing maternal care deserts where patients are unable to receive care due to a lack of hospitals or birthing centers. Nationally, more than a third of counties are maternity care deserts [[link removed]] , and a majority of these counties are rural.

But maternal care deserts are not unique to states with abortion bans – they affect Minnesota too.

Essentia Health Services announced it will end labor and delivery services in Fosston, MN, forcing patients to drive 45 minutes for a delivery unit [[link removed]] . This closure is part of a larger trend. In the past twenty years, the number of hospitals in Minnesota decreased [[link removed]] , with an especially sharp decrease in obstetrics. Minnesotans also face increasing maternal mortality rates, with Black and Indigenous birthing people facing disproportionately high risks [[link removed]] .

Our state must not only be an island of abortion access, but a place where all people have pregnancy care, safe deliveries, and postpartum care.

Women Winning pro-choice champions deliver on legislation. Sen. Tina Smith authored the Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services (MOMS) Act [[link removed]] to improve maternal and infant health in rural communities, which resulted in almost four million dollars in grant funding dedicated to healthcare providers in northern Minnesota. The Black Maternal Health Caucus [[link removed]] organized to increase access to postnatal care and passed the Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act. John , o ur pro-choice champions won’t stop fighting until everyone is able to make meaningful choices about their bodies and futures.

Join us in this fight. [[link removed]]

Donate $10 [[link removed]]

Donate $20 [[link removed]]

Donate $30 [[link removed]]

In solidarity,
Team Women Winning
Women Winning is a Minnesota non-profit corporation that is recognized as a tax-exempt 501(c)(4) organization. Contributions are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes.
Women Winning
2233 University Avenue West
Suite 310
Saint Paul, MN 55114
United States
If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe: [link removed] .