I am proud to announce that our recently elected State Vice-President, Barbra Peterson, will represent Minnesota NOW at the Red River Clinic in Fargo, ND, to support the clinic staff and their patients who are being targeted for harassment in a nationally orchestrated campaign called “40 Days for Life.”  Barbra and four carloads of Minnesota allies will travel to Fargo this Wednesday, September 23rd, for the first day of this campaign.

Why does Minnesota NOW need to support Fargo?

Fargo’s Red River Women’s Clinic is the only facility in all of North Dakota that provides abortion care, and its location on the border of Minnesota makes it the closest clinic for women in western Minnesota, who would otherwise have to travel to the Twin Cities to obtain an abortion. In fact, 30% of all the procedures performed at the clinic are for residents of Minnesota.

Additionally, because there is not one physician in North Dakota who provides abortion care, the clinic’s doctors must travel from elsewhere, primarily from the Twin Cities, to see patients once a week. The first day of the anti-choice campaign is a clinic day, so volunteer escorts will be present to ensure patients’ emotional and physical safety as they access the clinic.

A Red River Clinic spokesperson told us that, in general, protests at the clinic have intensified since the murder of Dr. George Tiller, and that this is the third year that the national organization has mobilized in Fargo.

For more information on the “40 Days” campaign:

• North Dakota campaign site: http://www.40daysforlifend.com/
• National organization site: http://40daysforlife.com/ (includes a countdown clock to the event)

For more information on why reproductive freedom is essential for all women, no matter where they live:

http://www.now.org/issues/abortion/

Please consider a donation to Minnesota NOW to show your support for Barbra Peterson and the volunteers who are standing up for women’s civil rights.  Your support makes actions like this possible!