John,
As Minnesota’s chief legal officer, it’s my job to do everything within my power to protect Minnesotans’ constitutional rights. One of those rights in Minnesota is crystal clear: Our state constitution protects the right to abortion and reproductive health care.
In a 1995 Minnesota Supreme Court decision in a case known as Gomez, the Court found that the right to privacy in our state’s constitution protects the right to an abortion. For Minnesotans, this has meant that access to abortion care has been guaranteed, even after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision two years ago unleashed chaos across the country.
After Dobbs, more than one-third of all Americans find abortion care nearly impossible to get. But because of Gomez, Minnesotans still have that freedom. But there is a looming threat.
A 150-year-old, outdated, misogynist federal law known as the Comstock Act is still on the books. It’s widely considered a dead-letter law, but if invoked, it could be used to restrict access to safe, legal abortions everywhere across the country – including in Minnesota.
We know President Biden is a staunch ally for abortion rights and would never use the Comstock Act to interfere with Americans’ access to reproductive health care. However, we cannot count on Donald Trump’s 6-3 Supreme Court majority, the conservative federal appeals circuits below it, or a future Republican administration to do the same.
John, here’s the bottom line: Letting the Comstock Act continue to sit on the books invites mischief from Republicans and conservative special interests that are already attacking our rights and freedoms as we speak.
Yesterday, I was proud to stand with Senator Tina Smith to call on Congress to repeal the Comstock Act to protect all Minnesotans’ right to a safe and legal abortion. I will do everything in my power to protect reproductive freedom in Minnesota, but it’s never been more important for all Americans who are with me to raise their voices and be heard.
To make it 100% clear that we will not back down, I need to collect 10,000 pro-choice signatures in support of repealing the Comstock Act. Will you add your name right now to be counted?
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Thank you,
Keith Ellison
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Prepared and paid for by the Keith Ellison for Attorney General committee, PO Box 17224, Minneapolis, MN 55417
Keith Ellison for Attorney General
PO Box 17224
Minneapolis, MN 55417
United States
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