Our Justice
NIRH is continuing its exciting partnership with Our Justice, Minnesota’s only Reproductive Justice organization and abortion fund, to expand access to abortion care in the state by strengthening its abortion care ecosystem. Together, we have been pursuing a long-term ongoing campaign to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates for abortion care and allocate state funding directly to providers, to ensure they can keep their doors open. NIRH will also support Our Justice as they continue to convene their Direct Services Working Group, which includes all of Minnesota’s independent abortion providers, as well as abortion funds in MN, ND, SD, IA, IL, and NE. This group of incredible Midwest providers and funds guide and inform Our Justice’s advocacy work. Let us know if you have any questions or want to talk this through further.
NIRH supported Our Justice in their advocacy on the Reproductive Health Equity Fund (RHEF) which would boost Medicaid reimbursement rates for independent abortion providers and improve the quality-of-care for Medicaid patients in Minnesota. NIRH collaborated with Our Justice to develop strategic campaign and communications materials including a petition with over 1000 signatures to advance the bill while supporting them navigate difficult coalition dynamics.
Founded in 1967 by a small group of doctors, clergy, and community members to assist Minnesota women in accessing abortion care – Our Justice works to provide people with the resources they need now, while also advocating for policy change that would make these resources more available and remove many of these challenges altogether.
In 2022, Our Justice built strong relationships with local elected officials in Minneapolis and St. Paul, resulting in meaningful wins for abortion access int heir community. Following the leak of the draft decision in Dobbs, Our Justice passed a resolution in support of abortion access with unanimous council support. Their public campaign for local funding for abortion resulted in the mayor including a $300,000 budget line item for abortion access in the city’s final budget. This work led to a new relationship with officials in Hennepin County, who unanimously passed a budget amendment allocating $500,000 to fund reproductive and gender affirming care.
In 2023, NIRH supported Our Justice as they advocated for increased Medicaid reimbursement for abortion care, ultimately resulting in a 20% increase in the Medicaid reimbursement rate. Throughout this work, they also built deep relationships and expertise within the Minnesota state legislature. Drawing upon this expertise, Our Justice continued its advocacy for deeper public investment in abortion care and abortion infrastructure in the state, an important access point for abortion in their region, throughout the remainder of the year.
In 2024, NIRH is working with Our Justice to make improvements to Medicaid to guarantee equitable and accessible coverage for patients seeking abortions and financial sustainability for clinics. Through our partnership, we intend to establish equitable reimbursement rates and secure additional funding that will allow providers to extend care into the second trimester through proactive legislation. NIRH will provide strategic guidance to Our Justice to ensure the most effective next steps in achieving our goals.