Her friend was dead, shot by an a man who had killed two people and wounded two more. And Ruth Richardson knew her name was also right there on his list of targets.
What did so many on the list have in common? Their support of abortion rights.
Richardson’s colleague in the Minnesota house, Melissa Hortman, was shot dead along with her husband Mark in the early hours of the morning on June 14. The gunman also targeted State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette—who were gravely injured, but not killed. “There’s been a lot of violent political rhetoric that has led to this point,” Richardson told Ms. weeks after the shootings. “It was one thing to get a threat; it’s another thing to have confirmed threats where you have a friend and a colleague who is assassinated. So I think there’s just a new level of concern in this moment."
The gunman might have acted alone—but he’s far from the only one of his kind. In the wake of the shootings, abortion advocates warn that the antiabortion violence we’ve seen this year isn’t happening in a vacuum.
The work of advocating for abortion rights has always been dangerous. But under the second Trump administration, which has enabled antiabortion lawmakers and vigilantes through policies and rhetoric, that danger has escalated dramatically, as Hortman’s murder proves.
In our Fall issue, we delve into the motivations behind the shootings, and talk to the people who are trying to prevent further violence. |
