"The fight for abortion access and access to gender affirming care are linked by a simple belief—you are the rightful author of your own life story. Both abortion and gender-affirming care give us the freedom to determine our own paths in life and to defy barriers that oppress and erase women and LGBTQ people."

Rose MacKenzie and Arli Christian, ACLU
“You don’t have to tell us why you’re here. We’re just happy that we’re here to help you with whatever you need.”

Laurie Casey, Former Executive Director of WE Health Clinic
“A lot of the people that may be receiving abortion care are really focused on taking care of their children. And making enough money to survive right now. And having access to healthcare. And so people aren’t just following the New York Times like we are in our clinic, and talking about what’s going on across the country. There’s different realms that people are living in.”

Cassidy Thompson, Program and Events Coordinator at WE Health Clinic
“You don’t have to wait for permission to be part of something.”

Kristen Bledsoe, Organizer with Minnesota Abortion Action Coalition
“To me, a safe haven is a place where people are able to get care and support in a way that validates their lived experiences and their identities. And it feels safe. It feels like you don't have to fight to get what you need.”

Nadine Ashby, Doula and Founder of Birth Revolution
“And I sort of searched through my mind and I thought, well, the thing I really care about—the one thing that I am most passionate about is reproductive rights because of my own story.”

Rev. Kelli Clement, Minister at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames, Iowa
“So, I mean, patients just have fears. And as time has gone on—and of course, in this post-Dobbs world—I mean, I literally answered a phone yesterday, and a patient said, ‘I'm from North Dakota, is it okay for me to even come there?’”

Tammi Kromenaker, Owner and Director of Red River Women’s Clinic

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Who we are

Health Care Under Crisis is a community-oriented oral history project investigating the dynamics of Minnesota’s reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare landscapes. Through recorded interviews, we aim to uplift the work that people are doing to protect essential reproductive and gender-affirming health services throughout the state.

By spotlighting grassroots activism, community organizing, and provider experiences, this project highlights the people who have worked tirelessly to expand and protect reproductive health services in the state over the last five decades. We seek to platform the perspectives of activists, healthcare providers, and community members through community storytelling and artistic expression.

minnesota clinics

Locations of narrators and their organizations.