Planned Parenthood Minnesota Action Fund

Youth Electoral Organizing and Health Equity

by Leah Dreyfus

Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood Minnesota Action fund strives to mobilize supporters to defend and help to strengthen reproductive rights, and increase access to comprehensive sexuality education. It is important to note that Planned Parenthood Minnesota Action Fund is a distinct branch of Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood focuses on health care and education, while Planned Parenthood of Minnesota Action Fund advocates politically to protect reproductive health rights.

Generation Action and the 2020 Election

During my senior year, I interned (and am still interning) with the Youth Organizing program at Planned Parenthood Minnesota Action Fund here in Saint Paul. Specifically, I often work with my supervisor on the Generation Action Program. The Generation Action Program consists of organizing young Chapter Leaders at high schools and colleges/universities across Minnesota in their individual pursuits of reproductive health-related agendas at their schools and in their communities. Much of the work we did during Fall 2020 semester was diverted toward election efforts in campaigning for and spreading awareness about pro-choice candidates running for seats in the Minnesota Legislature. Throughout my ongoing internship, I have learned how to use and navigate Planned Parenthood’s data software, and continue to manage and track Generation Action data every month. During the months leading up to the election, I participated in voter outreach phone banks, and even led a few election week phone banks in the days leading up to the election. Now, we are working to connect to young people across Minnesota and mobilize them around the need for changes in comprehensive reproductive health care, to galvanize their support for a comprehensive sexuality education bill currently making its way through various health and education committees.

Youth Text Bank reaching out to young MN voters to pledge to vote!

Minnesota POlitics and Public Health

Access to safe and legal abortion has been a public health issue longer than abortion has been legal in the United States. Protecting access to reproductive choices, expanding access and education around contraceptives, and promoting comprehensive sexuality education is key to strengthening public health overall.

Planned Parenthood’s advocacy during the 2020 election sought to keep and build support for the members of the Minnesota Legislature that are committed to protecting reproductive rights, increasing access to health care, and understand the necessity of making sexuality education comprehensive. Without health equity champions in the Minnesota Legislature, a lot of the progress and achievements Minnesota has made in strengthening and improving access to health care would be jeopardized. Planned Parenthood Minnesota Action Fund ran their largest concentrated campaign effort this election cycle.

Unfortunately, the Minnesota Senate did not flip to a Democratic majority, and in fact we gained anti-choice Democrats. As a result, health care policy is vulnerable in Minnesota. The committees that focus on education and preventative health are full of anti-choice representatives who seek to limit or simply destroy access to safe and legal abortion, who also deny the importance and health benefits of comprehensive sex ed in schools. This political landscape, of course, is not unique to Minnesota. Legislatures across the country work every day to demolish a person’s right to a safe abortion, who fight against increasing access to contraception, and who deny the need for comprehensive and inclusive sexuality education, instead deciding to preach abstinence.

Looking Forward

My continuing experience working with the Youth Organizing program with Planned Parenthood has only reinforced my passion surrounding public health, reproductive health, and how they both interact with politics. Working with Planned Parenthood, particularly with the Generation Action Chapters, it is evident that there are many ways to approach bolstering public health and health equity.

Photo from Kat Otto's instagram

Working for Planned Parenthood has always been my dream, ever since I discovered my passion for reproductive rights during a high school government class trip to DC where I defended access to abortion in a mock congress activity. I hope to stay in Saint Paul, work with Planned Parenthood, and work to help strengthen and expand reproductive rights for the people of Minnesota.

References

References:

Planned Parenthood (n.d.). Planned Parenthood Minnesota advocate. Retrieved March 03, 2021, from https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/planned-parenthood-minnesota-advocate

Leah Dreyfus

Hi - my name is Leah and I am a graduating senior studying Political Science and Community and Global Health. I am passionate about reproductive health care, reading, and knitting.

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