Our Justice
“There are a lot of different points in someone's abortion experience that do not include just the legal right to access abortion,” says Megumi Rierson, Program Director at Our Justice, “There are a lot of injustices that need to be corrected so that poor folks, people of color, and queer and trans folks can access abortion care and the full spectrum of reproductive health care in a way that feels like a full, autonomous choice.”
Our Justice bridges the gap between the legal right to abortion and the material reality of accessing it. Their direct services – including their abortion assistance fund, lodging program, and free emergency contraception textline - work to meet people’s immediate needs for care while their legislative and legal advocacy fights policies that make abortion care inaccessible. This innovative dual strategy - celebrated by their 2023 Bush: Prize Minnesota - of transformative direct service paired with powerful policy work led by those most impacted by reproductive oppression is transforming the reproductive healthcare landscape in Minnesota.
An organization evolving with the times
“Our Justice works to ensure that all people and communities have the power and resources to make sexual and reproductive health decisions with self-determination,” explains ShaVunda Brown, Communications and Advocacy Director at Our Justice.
Ensuring Minnesotans can access abortions has been core to Our Justice’s mission since its founding as Pro-Choice Resources in 1967. Pro-Choice resources took an advocacy, education, and policy-based approach to promoting the right to abortion in Minnesota. In 2017, the organization was renamed Our Justice.
At the time of the change, the organization was seeing the limitations of a strictly policy-focused approach to reproductive freedom. While Minnesotans had the legal right to abortion, many were still struggling to access critical healthcare.
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ShaVunda Brown, Communications and Advocacy Director of Our Justice
Photo by Ryan Stopera
An organization evolving with the times
“Our Justice works to ensure that all people and communities have the power and resources to make sexual and reproductive health decisions with self-determination,” explains ShaVunda Brown, Communications and Advocacy Director at Our Justice.
Ensuring Minnesotans can access abortions has been core to Our Justice’s mission since its founding as Pro-Choice Resources in 1967. Pro-Choice resources took an advocacy, education, and policy-based approach to promoting the right to abortion in Minnesota. In 2017, the organization was renamed Our Justice.
At the time of the change, the organization was seeing the limitations of a strictly policy-focused approach to reproductive freedom. While Minnesotans had the legal right to abortion, many were still struggling to access critical healthcare.
“Securing legal recognition of abortion access wasn't making the deep impact that was necessary for full reproductive freedom for everyone,” Rierson says, explaining, “Legal recognition is a pretty limited understanding of what someone's abortion experience is. There's a huge gap for almost everyone we serve between the legal recognition of abortion access in Minnesota and the actual reality of getting one - whether that's travel, childcare, the actual medical expenses, abortion stigma, and other things stand in the way.”
Rierson says it became clear that adopting a reproductive justice framework that considers the reality of reproductive healthcare, including abortion, was necessary to move their mission forward. So, since 2017, Our Justice has worked to advance reproductive freedom, dignity, and choice through a reproductive justice framework.
“Our Justice works to ensure that all people and communities have the power and resources to make sexual and reproductive health decisions with self-determination,” explains ShaVunda Brown, Communications and Advocacy Director at Our Justice.
Ensuring Minnesotans can access abortions has been core to Our Justice’s mission since its founding as Pro-Choice Resources in 1967. Pro-Choice resources took an advocacy, education, and policy-based approach to promoting the right to abortion in Minnesota. In 2017, the organization was renamed Our Justice.
At the time of the change, the organization was seeing the limitations of a strictly policy-focused approach to reproductive freedom. While Minnesotans had the legal right to abortion, many were still struggling to access critical healthcare.
“Securing legal recognition of abortion access wasn't making the deep impact that was necessary for full reproductive freedom for everyone,” Rierson says.
"Legal recognition is a pretty limited understanding of what someone's abortion experience is," she explains, "There's a huge gap for almost everyone we serve between the legal recognition of abortion access in Minnesota and the actual reality of getting one - whether that's travel, childcare, the actual medical expenses, abortion stigma, and other things stand in the way.”
Rierson says it became clear that adopting a reproductive justice framework that considers the reality of reproductive healthcare, including abortion, was necessary to move their mission forward. So, since 2017, Our Justice has worked to advance reproductive freedom, dignity, and choice through a reproductive justice framework.
“Securing legal recognition of abortion access wasn't making the deep impact that was necessary for full reproductive freedom for everyone,” Rierson says, explaining, “Legal recognition is a pretty limited understanding of what someone's abortion experience is. There's a huge gap for almost everyone we serve between the legal recognition of abortion access in Minnesota and the actual reality of getting one - whether that's travel, childcare, the actual medical expenses, abortion stigma, and other things stand in the way.”
Rierson says it became clear that adopting a reproductive justice framework that considers the reality of reproductive healthcare, including abortion, was necessary to move their mission forward. So, since 2017, Our Justice has worked to advance reproductive freedom, dignity, and choice through a reproductive justice framework.
Reproductive justice is for all of us
“Our framework is explicitly a vision that every single person has the ability, power and resources to have children or to not have children and to make all those decisions in safe and healthy communities,” says Rierson.
A reproductive justice framework, according to Rierson, “requires that every single person has full bodily autonomy, meaning they have access to things like safe housing, clean water and are free from any kind of violence or threat of violence. It also requires that all our communities deeply prioritize everyone's right to access abortion care and reproductive health care.”
This framework both includes and goes beyond reproductive freedoms and considers the systems of oppression that prevent people and communities from accessing the kinds of basic dignities Rierson describes.
“Our work is so interwoven with other liberation struggles,” explains Brown, “Those people who are most impacted by reproductive oppression are those who experience oppression from many different angles. The barriers that people and families face when making sexual and reproductive health decisions with self-determination and dignity are a direct result of systemic forms of oppression that target people based on their race, sex, sexual orientation, class, gender, sexuality, ability, age and immigration status. So, it’s no surprise that our clients are typically people of color, queer and trans folks, minimum wage earners, and folks traveling to Minnesota from out of state to access care.“
The transformative power of direct service
An increased focus on client-centered direct service work is part of how Our Justice has turned their commitment to reproductive justice into action. They house a range of programs that support clients through all stages of seeking an abortion.
Through these programs, Our Justice helps people make appointments for abortion care, or get connected to abortion doulas who can help them make appointments for care. They also help clients pay for their appointments through their Abortion Assistance Fund with financial assistance anywhere from $50 to $5,000.
Through their Abortion Lodging Program, Our Justice helps people book hotel stays if they are either traveling to Minnesota for care or are Minnesota residents who need a safe place to stay. Since most Minnesota counties don’t have an abortion clinic and as surrounding states restrict abortion access, this service is increasingly in demand.
Rierson explains that providing direct services to abortion-seekers in Minnesota has impacts beyond meeting an individual’s’ immediate needs: “We believe strongly in the transformative power of direct service work. It’s a strategic priority for us to create a future of ease and care for people who are seeking abortion care. When people can access the care that they need easily, then they believe that it should be easy for the rest of their lives. If they believe that it should be easy, then they're not going to tolerate it if it’s hard, oppressive, or difficult in the future. And ideally that effect gets multiplied out and hopefully one day everyone understands that accessing health care should be easy - period.”
Brown and Rierson acknowledge that in the nonprofit space, especially when it comes to funding, there can be an emphasis put on advocacy and policy work over direct service. However, they say that centering reproductive justice in their work compels them to take a dual approach – both policy and direct service – to ensure Minnesotans have the right to abortion and the ability to access it.
“We operate from this framework because it pushes us to not just make sure that that abortion and reproductive healthcare services are available in name but that they're easy to access and that it’s a dignified experience for people when they're accessing them,” shares Rierson, explaining, “This means that like when you go to a provider, they're not going to misgender you. You're not going to be harassed outside of the clinic just to get care that is technically legal.”
For Our Justice, this experience of receiving dignified health care – before, during, and after an abortion – starts with deep trust in their clients. Brown explains, “We build power by affirming the birthing people who come to us and by trusting them to make the best decisions for themselves – whether they decide to give birth or not. That’s huge.”
Through their Abortion Lodging Program, Our Justice helps people book hotel stays if they are either traveling to Minnesota for care or are Minnesota residents who need a safe place to stay. Since most Minnesota counties don’t have an abortion clinic and as surrounding states restrict abortion access, this service is increasingly in demand.
Rierson explains that providing direct services to abortion-seekers in Minnesota has impacts beyond meeting an individual’s’ immediate needs: “We believe strongly in the transformative power of direct service work. It’s a strategic priority for us to create a future of ease and care for people who are seeking abortion care. When people can access the care that they need easily, then they believe that it should be easy for the rest of their lives. If they believe that it should be easy, then they're not going to tolerate it if it’s hard, oppressive, or difficult in the future. And ideally that effect gets multiplied out and hopefully one day everyone understands that accessing health care should be easy - period.”
Brown and Rierson acknowledge that in the nonprofit space, especially when it comes to funding, there can be an emphasis put on advocacy and policy work over direct service. However, they say that centering reproductive justice in their work compels them to take a dual approach – both policy and direct service – to ensure Minnesotans have the right to abortion and the ability to access it.
“We operate from this framework because it pushes us to not just make sure that that abortion and reproductive healthcare services are available in name but that they're easy to access and that it’s a dignified experience for people when they're accessing them,” shares Rierson.
Through their Abortion Lodging Program, Our Justice helps people book hotel stays if they are either traveling to Minnesota for care or are Minnesota residents who need a safe place to stay. Since most Minnesota counties don’t have an abortion clinic and as surrounding states restrict abortion access, this service is increasingly in demand.
Rierson explains that providing direct services to abortion-seekers in Minnesota has impacts beyond meeting an individual’s’ immediate needs: “We believe strongly in the transformative power of direct service work. It’s a strategic priority for us to create a future of ease and care for people who are seeking abortion care. When people can access the care that they need easily, then they believe that it should be easy for the rest of their lives. If they believe that it should be easy, then they're not going to tolerate it if it’s hard, oppressive, or difficult in the future. And ideally that effect gets multiplied out and hopefully one day everyone understands that accessing health care should be easy - period.”
Brown and Rierson acknowledge that in the nonprofit space, especially when it comes to funding, there can be an emphasis put on advocacy and policy work over direct service. However, they say that centering reproductive justice in their work compels them to take a dual approach – both policy and direct service – to ensure Minnesotans have the right to abortion and the ability to access it.
Megumi Rierson, Program Director at Our Justice
Photo by Ryan Stopera
“This means that like when you go to a provider, they're not going to misgender you," Rierson explains, "You're not going to be harassed outside of the clinic just to get care that is technically legal.”
For Our Justice, this experience of receiving dignified health care – before, during, and after an abortion – starts with deep trust in their clients. Brown explains, “We build power by affirming the birthing people who come to us and by trusting them to make the best decisions for themselves – whether they decide to give birth or not. That’s huge.”
“We operate from this framework because it pushes us to not just make sure that that abortion and reproductive healthcare services are available in name but that they're easy to access and that it’s a dignified experience for people when they're accessing them,” shares Rierson, explaining, “This means that like when you go to a provider, they're not going to misgender you. You're not going to be harassed outside of the clinic just to get care that is technically legal.”
For Our Justice, this experience of receiving dignified health care – before, during, and after an abortion – starts with deep trust in their clients. Brown explains, “We build power by affirming the birthing people who come to us and by trusting them to make the best decisions for themselves – whether they decide to give birth or not. That’s huge.”
Through their Abortion Lodging Program, Our Justice helps people book hotel stays if they are either traveling to Minnesota for care or are Minnesota residents who need a safe place to stay. Since most Minnesota counties don’t have an abortion clinic and as surrounding states restrict abortion access, this service is increasingly in demand.
Rierson explains that providing direct services to abortion-seekers in Minnesota has impacts beyond meeting an individual’s’ immediate needs: “We believe strongly in the transformative power of direct service work. It’s a strategic priority for us to create a future of ease and care for people who are seeking abortion care. When people can access the care that they need easily, then they believe that it should be easy for the rest of their lives. If they believe that it should be easy, then they're not going to tolerate it if it’s hard, oppressive, or difficult in the future. And ideally that effect gets multiplied out and hopefully one day everyone understands that accessing health care should be easy - period.”
Brown and Rierson acknowledge that in the nonprofit space, especially when it comes to funding, there can be an emphasis put on advocacy and policy work over direct service. However, they say that centering reproductive justice in their work compels them to take a dual approach – both policy and direct service – to ensure Minnesotans have the right to abortion and the ability to access it.
“We operate from this framework because it pushes us to not just make sure that that abortion and reproductive healthcare services are available in name but that they're easy to access and that it’s a dignified experience for people when they're accessing them,” shares Rierson, explaining, “This means that like when you go to a provider, they're not going to misgender you. You're not going to be harassed outside of the clinic just to get care that is technically legal.”
For Our Justice, this experience of receiving dignified health care – before, during, and after an abortion – starts with deep trust in their clients. Brown explains, “We build power by affirming the birthing people who come to us and by trusting them to make the best decisions for themselves – whether they decide to give birth or not. That’s huge.”
Everything is informed by clients
In addition to their direct service work, Our Justice knows that advocating for reproductive justice at the policy level is integral for ending reproductive oppression.
Since its founding, Our Justice has been at the forefront of making Minnesota a leader in legal access abortion access. The organization has been a plaintiff in pivotal cases in Minnesota including Doe v. Gomez in 1995, which set the constitutional precedent in Minnesota for strong state constitutional protections for abortion care. This case established some of the strongest abortion protections in any state constitution in the country.
Our Justice was also a plaintiff in Doe v. Minnesota in 2022 which struck down state abortion restrictions that passed despite Doe v. Gomez’s precedent. This victory removed a 24-hour waiting period for abortions, two parent notification for minors seeking abortions, a ban on advanced practitioners providing abortions, among other outdated restrictions intended to reduce access to abortion care in the state.
Photo by Ryan Stopera
These victories were possible thanks to Our Justice’s deep connections with both abortion seekers and providers: “Our Justice has taken on big advocacy projects to change those really big systemic barriers based on what we're hearing directly from clients,” explains Rierson, “Because of our deep relationship with clients and our capacity and desire as an organization to take certain risks on behalf of our clients, we're able to engage in really intentional advocacy work.”
These meaningful connections with clients ensure that Our Justice addresses what is actually preventing people from getting abortions - not just what service providers assume are barriers. These relationships, alongside a staff – the majority of whom are women of color - that reflects the clients they serve, mean that abortion-seekers' voices and experiences are meaningfully centered across Our Justice’s work.
“It matters to have our clients’ identities affirmed in an organization like Our Justice,” shares Brown, “It matters that the people sitting in those seats have had the same connection so we can better advocate for why the support and funding is needed. It opens up more pathways for the needs to be met if you are truly reflective of community and have a deep understanding of what the needs are.”
According to both Rierson and Brown, these deep connections to their community of clients set them apart from many others in the field and are key to their ability to build power for change.
“I think that's why we're able to see projects through that have such deep and lasting impact: there's nothing that we do that isn't directly informed by feedback or questions or needs that we have learned about from the people that we work with and are in deep relationship with,” shares Rierson, “It is unique and uniquely impactful that every single decision that we make as an organization about how the abortion fund works, or what litigation we’re going to pursue, or how we're going to work with clients is actually really based on tangible feedback from clinic partners, practical support partners, and our clients”
Shayla Walker (L), Executive Director, and Leah Soule (R), Development Director
Photo by Ryan Stopera
The future of dignified care for all
As reproductive healthcare continues to come under attack in surrounding states, Our Justice is resolute in their work to expand and solidify access to dignified abortion care throughout Minnesota. Work including a bill to appropriate state funding for abortion-providing clinics and re-establishing a regular support group for people who have had abortions are in the works for Our Justice.
Ultimately, Brown and Rierson agree that they would prefer their work to be unnecessary, but for now, they are in it for the long haul. Brown shares, “Our dream is an end to reproductive oppression. Our dream is to have people's decisions about their bodies be respected, affirmed, and supported financially. Our dream is for abortion access to be seen as full spectrum reproductive health care. Our dream is to work ourselves out of a job.”
Shayla Walker (L), Executive Director, and Leah Soule (R), Development Director
Photo by Ryan Stopera
The future of dignified care for all
As reproductive healthcare continues to come under attack in surrounding states, Our Justice is resolute in their work to expand and solidify access to dignified abortion care throughout Minnesota. Work including a bill to appropriate state funding for abortion-providing clinics and re-establishing a regular support group for people who have had abortions are in the works for Our Justice.
Ultimately, Brown and Rierson agree that they would prefer their work to be unnecessary, but for now, they are in it for the long haul. Brown shares, “Our dream is an end to reproductive oppression. Our dream is to have people's decisions about their bodies be respected, affirmed, and supported financially. Our dream is for abortion access to be seen as full spectrum reproductive health care. Our dream is to work ourselves out of a job.”
Get connected to Our Justice:
Website: https://www.ourjustice.net/
Instagram : @ourjusticerj
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OurJusticeRJ/
Twitter/X: @OurJusticeRJ
Volunteer Opportunties:
Our Justice has a wide range of volunteer opportunities and a high need for volunteers to carry out their critical reproductive justice work. If you are interested in volunteering with Our Justice, sign up on their website.