It’s always a comfort to learn that our Minnesotan Congressional representatives are standing in the way of damaging legislation. I write to express my support of Senator Amy Klobuchar in her fight to keep dangerous abortion restrictions out of the Justice for Trafficking Victims Act.

When S. 187 – Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act was introduced in mid-January to establish funds that would help provide victims of sex-trafficking the resources to heal and resettle, there was widespread bipartisan support. The vast majority of human trafficking incidents in the U.S. involve criminals coercing women and children into performing commercial sex acts. An account I read from a survivor used the image of a revolving door to describe the scope of men who raped her the day the Super Bowl took place in the city where she was trafficked. Once they are free from these repulsive conditions of modern-day slavery, trafficking survivors deserve ALL the support and services possible to get their lives back on track.

Unfortunately, Republican leadership is blocking this bill with a provision that expands the Hyde amendment: a discriminatory amendment that bans federal funding for abortion care in most cases. In fact, the restrictions would reach beyond the extent of the Hyde Amendment because the victims’ compensation fund stems from fines on traffickers, not taxpayer dollars. The GOP’s introduction and refusal to remove this clause demonstrates that they are more focused on pushing their own ideological agenda of banning abortion than helping sex-trafficking victims to access health care in their time of need.

It’s sickening, but if the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act passed as it is, lawmakers would further control the autonomy of survivors by denying them the resources to make their own reproductive decisions. This act was designed to help survivors, not to hurt them further.

Let’s support the courageous stance of Senator Klobuchar so that we can defeat anyone who puts personal politics above the health and safety of women.

Payne McMillan ’15 mcmillap@stolaf.edu is from BlueBell, Pa. He majors in English.

Dutiful Citizens,

Midterm elections are around the corner Tuesday, Nov. 4 and I am excited to exercise my right to vote. Many eligible voters choose not to participate in the democratic system, believing that their single vote is insignificant. I write to dissipate this myth! The margin of victory between candidates is often small, especially in state elections. The representatives that we elect dictate what legislation will be introduced and voted on. In May 2013, the Eighty-eighth Minnesota Legislature our current state government passed a bill allowing same-sex marriage; this would have been impossible under the Eighty-seventh Minnesota Legislature. Marriage equality became a reality in Minnesota because of constituents who showed up on Election Day and voted for candidates who supported their rights.

Tuesday’s election is no different from 2012; some candidates will work to expand our rights, while others will impose restrictions. Though American politics seem tied overall, progressive legislation is being enacted in this state. In July, Minnesota House Majority Leader Erin Murphy introduced the Contraceptive Health Equity and Employee Rights CHEER Act. This bill was proposed in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, a Federal Court ruling which allows employers to restrict contraception coverage for their employees based on religious beliefs. The CHEER Act is an anti-discrimination measure that would require for-profit employers in Minnesota to cover FDA-approved prescription contraception methods for their employees. The bill would make businesses like Hobby Lobby disclose to current employees or prospective hires if they have restrictive coverage policies based on religious beliefs.

The CHEER Act would allow people to make medical decisions based on their own needs rather than their boss’ beliefs, but it does not stand a chance at ratification if the DFL loses control of the Minnesota Legislature.

Our District Representative David Bly supports the CHEER Act. However, our district 20B has also had a victory margin of below 40 votes in past elections. It’s on us to show up and cast our votes for candidates who have our best interests in mind. If you do not know where a candidate stands on an issue that is important to you, call the candidate’s office and ask.

After Tuesday’s big election, I encourage everyone to continue being involved with politics. Schedule an appointment to meet with your representative or write the person a letter. Let them know what issues affect you and be prepared with a specific plan for how they can improve that area. They more often a legislator hears from their constituents about a topic, it sends the massage that it is a priority for the people who they represent.

If you need help contacting your representatives or educating yourself about what they’ve been up to, visit https://www.congress.gov/members for national officials and http://www.leg.state.mn.us for state officials.

Payne McMillan ’15 mcmillap@stolaf.edu is from BlueBell, PA. He majors in English.

You may have noticed a building labeled “Crisis Pregnancy Center” CPC in downtown Northfield. Perhaps you saw their advertisement for a free pregnancy test in the campus coupon booklet at the start of the semester. The ambiguity of the name causes many students to ask, “What is a Crisis Pregnancy Center?”

The January 2012 report by the NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota Foundation revealed some interesting information about CPCs in general. The CPC of Northfield’s slogan claims that it aims “to encourage, inform, and support.” Although this sounds like a valuable community resource, it is not. While the report does not refer specifically to the CPC of Northfield, it does say that some CPCs only encourage women to carry a pregnancy to term. They do not make abortion referrals, and they offer misleading information about the danger of abortion procedures.

The report states that tactics some CPCs use to discourage women from seeking abortions include claiming that having an abortion increases your risk of getting breast cancer or warning that after an abortion, you are more likely to have future miscarriages.

Some CPCs also commonly refer to “spiritual consequences” or “Post Abortion Stress Disorder” resulting from terminating a pregnancy. This information is misleading; although choosing to get an abortion is not an easy decision, many women feel that they made the right choice in undergoing this medical procedure.

The report revealed that CPCs are not medically licensed clinics. Sometimes employees wear lab coats, insinuating that they are trained medical personnel. This builds a false sense of confidence in clients that they are being given well-founded information. According to the report, some CPCs lie to women about how far along they are in their pregnancy so that by the time they seek an abortion, the procedure is more expensive and harder to attain.

CPCs may also provide ultrasounds. The report states that in some cases, these ultrasounds are of another woman’s pregnant womb. False information such as this could be life threatening to a mother if she has a pregnancy complication and has been led to believe that she and her child are in good health.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers target and advertise to women who are in desperate situations. Deliberately lying to women about their body and health care options is ethically wrong. Every woman deserves the right to determine her own future and be accurately informed about her range of options, regardless of what her decision may be.

If you or a friend has an unplanned pregnancy, you can learn the entire range of options for handling the situation – as well as preventative measures for the future – at Planned Parenthood, just 30 minutes north of St. Olaf in Apple Valley.

Clarification: This letter, published on Nov. 15, did not seek to imply any connection between the CPC of Northfield and the NARAL report cited in the letter. The CPC of Northfield is not mentioned in the NARAL report.