Many of us are still feeling fear. Two great friends and partners of our Union were targeted for political assassination, in their own homes, in the middle of the night. However, the reasons for fear are far greater for some of our members at Planned Parenthood North Central States (PPNCS). Their health centers were on Vance Boelter’s hit list.

This list is believed to have the targets he was planning to attack after Senator Hoffman and Speaker Hortman and it didn’t just have the home addresses of elected officials but also included the addresses of multiple clinics where members of our Union work.

Being a healthcare worker at Planned Parenthood takes courage 365 days a year. Union members are often confronted by a line of protestors just to get to work in the morning. Vicious personal insults and accusations are hurled at them, simply because they choose to work for an organization that is proudly committed to providing sexual and reproductive healthcare, including abortion care. Members experience direct threats not just to themselves but also threats towards their families.

Over the weekend, members went to work to serve their patients, and they did so knowing that Boelter was still at large after his killing spree. Knowing that their worksites were listed as a target. Each day, our Union members at PPNCS continue doing their critical work knowing that extremists like Boelter intend to harm them.

Our entire Union stands together with our members at PPNCS as we grapple with this tragedy. We send them our solidarity and love. We admire their courage and their commitment to providing patients with the full range of reproductive, family planning, gender-affirming care, and other critical healthcare services.

Let us be clear: Our members are courageous, but courage should not be a requirement for anyone to go to work and do their job. Targeted political violence and assassinations should have no place in our society. Differences of political opinion – no matter how deeply held or passionate – must be expressed with civility and respect, not personal attack or the threat of violence.

Every politician, TV personality, social media influencer, podcaster, and political activist who uses extreme rhetoric to attack, insult or threaten their political opponents in personal terms bears some responsibility for the kind of horrific attacks we experienced in Minnesota this past weekend. We call on them to deescalate that rhetoric. Hate speech normalizes acts of vigilante violence. There is no civility in calling abortion care workers “murderers.” Reproductive healthcare work needs to be destigmatized and reproductive healthcare workers need to be kept safe and protected.

Our whole Union commits to supporting our PPNCS members in their continued fight to achieve safety, respect and fair compensation for the heroic work they do every day taking care of their patients and communities.