Rep. Melissa Hortman, killed in targeted attack, was a champion for Minnesotan families
Melissa Hortman, a former Minnesota House speaker who championed the passage of ambitious progressive policies in the state, was assassinated along with her husband early Saturday in what Gov. Tim Walz called “an act of targeted political violence.”
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion in June 2022, Minnesota emerged as a key access point for abortion as other Midwestern states moved to ban the procedure. “There was a simmering rage that did not stop,” Hortman said after the 2022 election, according to Minnesota Public Radio. “I was hopeful that voters would take that energy and put it on the ballot and vote for Democrats. And thankfully they did.”
In 2023, Hortman led the Minnesota House in passing the PRO Act, legislation that codified the legality of abortion and other forms of reproductive health care in the state. In subsequent bills, the Minnesota legislature eliminated other restrictions on abortion, passed protections for abortion providers, boosted state funding for clinics providing abortion and eliminated funding for anti-abortion counselling centres.
Hortman, age 55, had worked closely with Gov. Tim Walz to enact policies that prioritized children and expanded protections for abortion and gender-affirming care. She was elected to the Minnesota House in 2004, became the speaker of the state’s House of Representatives in 2019 and, during her first few years, presided over the chamber under a divided government. In 2022, when the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party won full control of the state government, Hortman played a key role in shaping what legislation the chamber would prioritize, working closely with Walz to enact a slew of progressive policies that included major investments in children and families, as well as expanded protections for abortion and gender-affirming care. She had left the post in March.
SOURCE: 19th News, 14 June 2025
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Minnesota shooting suspect had target list of abortion providers
Statement from NAF Chief Program Officer Melissa Fowler: “We are beyond devastated by the murders of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband and the violent attacks on Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife. It is clear that these were politically motivated attacks—police found the suspect’s list of over 70 targets, which include a number of abortion providers and pro-abortion advocates. This is a horrific tragedy. No public servant, medical professional, or any individual should have to live in fear of violence.”
“NAF has been tracking incidents of violence and disruption against abortion providers for 45 years, and this targeting of providers is unfortunately not new. The harassment and violence targeting physicians, nurses, clinic staff, and the people they care for is yet another form of hate and fear-mongering inflicted by white supremacists and far-right extremists.”
SOURCE: ProChoice.org, 14 June 2025