On Tuesday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey proclaimed March 10 as Abortion Provider Appreciation Day. Frey stated that his action was taken to honor the local abortion provider, Whole Woman’s Health, saying, “Every day, abortion providers like Whole Woman’s Health deliver high quality care in the face of harassment and threats to abortion access at the federal and local levels. I’m proud to recognize today as Abortion Provider Appreciation Day to celebrate Whole Woman’s Health as an essential part of our community.”
Frey tweeted, “The professionals who ensure women can access safe reproductive healthcare do so despite threats of violence & the persistent push to undermine Roe v. Wade. That’s why today is Abortion Provider Appreciation Day in Minneapolis.” March 10 was chosen because on March 10, 1993, Dr. David Gunn, an abortionist in Pensacola, Florida, was shot and killed.
Responding to Frey’s announcement, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said he was “profoundly saddened,” asserting:
Given that each human life is created in the image and likeness of God and has value, to honor those who purposefully end such life is an affront not only to our Creator but to the foundational values of civil society. There is no way around it — abortion kills children. What gives me hope, however, are the countless women and men of goodwill who tirelessly give of themselves to accompany women in crisis pregnancies, love and assist moms and babies, and work to create a culture of life in our communities and in our world. It is those people we should be honoring.”
Frey’s announcement followed the St. Paul City Council unanimously passing a resolution to recognize Abortion Providers Appreciation Day in St. Paul on March 4. The Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported, “The timing of the resolution — which drew no public discussion — was no accident. The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday took a case involving a Louisiana law that requires doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at hospitals no more than 30 miles away.”
The resolution stated, “The Supreme Court of the United States now contains a majority of Justices who may not interpret the Constitution to provide protection for the right to end a pregnancy and may overturn or severely limit Roe v. Wade, which includes the threat of women patients and abortion providers being arrested and sent to jail.”
The case in question, June Medical Services L.L.C. v. Russo, was explained by The Constitutional Accountability Center this way: “In June Medical Services L.L.C. v. Russo, the Supreme Court is considering whether the Fifth Circuit’s decision to uphold Louisiana’s Act 620, a law which requires physicians who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, is in conflict with the Supreme Court’s 2016 decision in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt.”
Whole Woman’s Health’s background was this, as explained by oyez.org:
In 2013, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 2 (H.B. 2), which contained several provisions related to abortions. One such provision required that any physician performing an abortion have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of where the abortion was performed, and another provision required that all abortion clinics comply with standards for ambulatory surgical centers.
Between February 26 and April 5, Catholics in St. Paul and Minneapolis mark the 40 Days for Life Twin Cities, an annual Lenten prayer campaign to end abortion.