WGS 2026 Annual Lecture

Dr. Emily Winderman, University of Minnesota, will examine how rhetoric has shaped our dominant understandings of reproductive criminality from Roe v. Wade to Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

After the Dobbs decision, many states were emboldened to enact restrictions on reproductive freedom nationwide. Minnesota, however, expanded protections for out-of-state travelers. Public leaders across Minnesota declared the state a "safe haven" and "refuge," but activists and providers had nuanced reactions to this labeling. This talk will historicize safe haven rhetoric by drawing connections to another rhetorical commonplace\: abortion's back-alley.