St. Cloud bishop calls Roe v. Wade reversal 'good news,' MN Planned Parenthood says it's a 'grave violation'

ST. CLOUD ― Parties remain divided, not only among political lines but also religious lines, as news that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade was announced Friday morning.

Anti-abortion advocates celebrated the decision as a win for the unborn, whereas abortion-rights supporters expressed fear and anger about the future repercussions on women's health, family planning and the maternal mortality rate.

'Good news for the protection and sacred dignity of human life'

Bishop Donald Kettler, from the Dioceses of St. Cloud, issued a statement Friday celebrating the reversal of Roe v. Wade, calling it "good news for the protection and sacred dignity of human life."

"The right to life is one of our nation’s founding principles. It also is the first principle of Catholic social teaching.Every person is created in the image and likeness of God, and God loves every single human life," he wrote. "The Catholic Church gives special attention to the needs of the poor and vulnerable. This includes the child inthe womb, the migrant, the ill and the elderly. All life — no matter its stage or ability — has value."

Kettler said in the Catholic church's efforts to "protect vulnerable life in the womb, we must not forget that women facing crisis pregnancies are also vulnerable."

More:MN Republicans celebrate, DFLers decry Roe reversal as 'attack on ... fundamental rights'

He said these women need care and assistance throughout their pregnancies and after the birth of their children and encouraged people to donate money and supplies to pregnancy centers and other related organizations. Kettler also said as Minnesotans still have access to abortions he encouraged people to step up their educational and charitable efforts and limit any expansion of abortion.

"I ask you to take time today to pray for the lives lost to abortion, for healing for the women and men harmed byits effects, for peace in the wake of this court decision, for continued courage to stand up for a culture of life,and for a change of heart for anyone contemplating an abortion today or in the future," he wrote.

James Mills, the executive director of the Pregnancy Resource Center, declined to comment on the Roe v. Wade verdict Friday. The Pregnancy Resource Center is an anti-abortion nonprofit that offers free health resources like pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, STI testing and life coaching. They have two locations in the St. Cloud area.

Elevate Pregnancy and Family Resource Center in Waite Park, formerly Birthline, also declined to comment.

More:St. Cloud-area women share stories of abortion, miscarriage following Roe v. Wade reversal

'We are going to be faced with a public health emergency'

In a virtual press conference Friday, Planned Parenthood officials denounced the Supreme Court decision, saying the court has put women's health and livelihood in "significant danger."

"Today is an absolutely horrible, devastating day. I don't think there are words to describe what a shattering moment is for women in our country. The Supreme Court has taken an absolute knife to Roe and our protections, the protections that we have relied on that so many of us, including myself, have used to organize and plan our lives for the last 50 years. Those protections have now evaporated," said Sarah Stoesz, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States. "And this decision has put women in significant danger for their health and well-being. The overturn of Roe represents a clear and present danger to women's health and lives in this country. And nothing will be the same for many, many years to come."

Stoesz said a core principal of our democracy is bodily autonomy, "and now women have lost the right to that autonomy, the right to control their bodies … overnight."

Forced pregnancy and forced childbearing is a grave violation of human rights and human dignity, and given the "shockingly high rates of maternal maternal mortality in this country that we should all be deeply ashamed of will now become worse," she said. "Politicians are now in charge of our bodies in ways that they were not yesterday."

More:Pregnancy-related deaths could rise 20% or more in states that outlaw abortion, experts say

As North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin's bans on abortions take place, it's likely more patients seeking abortion care will come to Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. As of Friday Stoesz said there have been no plans to open new clinics that offer abortion services, but that is something the company is considering.

In Minnesota, Planned Parenthood has increased capacity in their telemedicine abortion sites, are continuing to recruit and onboard new physicians to meet demand and hired more patient navigators to assist patients in finding support and resources as they move around the country.

Abortion care was paused in South Dakota in anticipation of the verdict and Planned Parenthood performed its last abortion in the state a little over a week ago.

"Last week when we performed our last abortion I was the physician there, and the last patient I saw had a story very similar to most patients I see. She was a young mother. She already had children. She was struggling to make ends meet and couldn't imagine bringing another child into that circumstance," said Chief Medical Officer Sarah Traxler. "And so thankfully, she was able to make decisions about her life and her family that were right for her. I've seen countless women like this throughout my career. And unfortunately for the women of South Dakota, this is no longer a reality. They are now subject to the opinions of legislators who are not impacted by this decision."

More:Paramount Center for the Arts, Jules' Bistro hosting benefit for Ukraine Tuesday

Traxler said it's difficult for her to see politicians make sweeping medical decisions, not doctors and their patients.

"It is also difficult to see that in several states, even to save a person's life, this procedure will be unavailable to them. And there are many, many situations in which abortion is a life-saving procedure. I have seen many patients throughout my career that I have done abortions for who needed that in order to stay alive for the children that are already living," she said. "I've had a patient diagnosed with cancer who could not get her treatment until she had an abortion. I have had patients who have ruptured membranes, or their water breaks early, and they become septic and have a life threatening infection where we need to do an abortion in order to save their life. I have seen patients who have preeclampsia and high blood pressures leading to seizures and stroke that requires an abortion in order to save their life, and the list truly goes on and on. These are not decisions that [apply to] politicians. These are decisions that are medical and should be made by medical professionals in concert with their patients. We're going to be faced with a public health emergency."

Stoesz said it's never been more important to vote, protest and take action, and said it was important that "violence has no place in our discourse." She said deepened partisan divisions will likely only become more pronounced following the Supreme Court decision.

Becca Most is a cities reporter with the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-241-8213 or bmost@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter at @becca_most. 

Support local journalism. Subscribe to sctimes.com today.