The Family Beacon

Communicate Your Pro-Life Position

A Message to Pro-Life Candidates

As you know, both pro-life and pro-abortion voters are extremely invested in the life issue, and in the outcome of this fall’s election. That makes it more important than ever to address this sensitive issue with truth and compassion, communicating your position respectfully and clearly to voters on all sides of this issue.

Every candidate should remember that pro-life Minnesotans make up a large portion of the electorate in every district. They want to see and hear your clear leadership on the life issue. Many of them will be dismayed if you ignore the abortion issue rather than clearly and respectfully communicating your position, and could even decide to stay home in November.

Remember, the best recent polls (here and here) indicate that a supermajority of Minnesotans do NOT support Minnesota’s current extreme abortion laws permitting abortion any time for any reason up to the moment of birth. Fully 68.2% of Minnesotans support at least limits on abortion if not an outright ban in most cases (41.4%). Only 30.1% of Minnesotans want abortion to be legal without any limitations. And yet, almost no pro-abortion candidates in Minnesota support any limitations on abortion, making theirs the real extreme position.

Proposed Social Studies Standards: Minnesota Students and Families Deserve Better

Under state law, Minnesota’s social study standards are updated every ten years, going through a process of drafting, public comment, and review before being implemented in schools. The first draft of proposed updates to Minnesota’s social studies standards was released in late 2020 and immediately drew public response for its glaring omissions of key moments in U.S., Minnesota, and world history. Subsequent drafts have shown slight improvement in standards for history — for instance, including the Holocaust, which was completely omitted from the first draft — but have continued to add benchmarks that introduce critical race theory to Minnesota’s classrooms through the addition of “Ethnic studies” requirements.

These standards are part of a broader effort from the Walz administration to push critical theory on Minnesota’s students. Earlier this year, the administration attempted to mandate ethnic studies in all schools, including private schools and home schools.

Currently the Minnesota Department of Education is reviewing public comments on the proposed final version of the social studies standards and is drafting a Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR) which will be made available to the public. At that point there will be opportunity for public comment before the standards are reviewed and adopted.

California Governor Touts $10 Million Pro-Abortion Ad Campaign

Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, pro-abortion activists have stepped up digital and billboard campaigns to normalize abortion. In Minnesota, billboards plaster highways with messages like “abortion is still legal in Minnesota” and “it is still your right” (although, actually, it never has been). In other states, billboards claim that “Texas doesn’t own your body.” They invite vulnerable women to travel to other states to have an abortion. California’s state government is the primary culprit, using taxpayer dollars to advertise the fact that their state is a safe haven for abortionists.

Earlier this week, California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed that his campaign has spent $10 million on pro-abortion billboards in certain pro-life states. The targeted states included Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Mississippi, Ohio, and Oklahoma. Each of these states has banned abortion following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Indiana, which has also been a target of these advertisements, banned abortion just last week.

These pro-abortion campaigns promote the murder of innocent children. They are disgraceful attempts to put a false message in front of vulnerable women.

Under the Newsom administration, Californian taxpayers are also obligated to pay for a website advertising abortion. In May, Governor Newsom announced a “Reproductive Health Package” aimed at promoting abortion in California and elsewhere. In this package, which budgeted about $200 million for abortion purposes, Newsom touted a Comprehensive Reproductive Rights website and increased infrastructure for abortion businesses.

Minnesota MOMS Seek to Defend Parental Rights Among Other State Laws


Pictured above, Renee Carlson, General Counsel of True North Legal, emcees a press conference on behalf of MOMS, Mothers Offering Maternal Support, where a group of over 50 MOMS is seeking to intervene in a significant case about abortion in Minnesota.

Constitutional expert and lawyer, Teresa Collett is serving as lead counsel in this case. Just this past summer, Ramsey County District Court Judge Thomas Gilligan, struck down nearly all abortion regulations, even laws that included bipartisan legislative support. As it stands, this decision makes Minnesota one of the most radical abortion states in the entire coutry.

If it remains law, women will no longer be provided critical information about a medical decision as significant as abortion; people other than doctors will be able to perform abortions; there will be no waiting periods required for adults or minors girls; and most significantly, the law will separate daughters from their parents at a time when she needs them most, taking away their right to be infomed of critical medical decisions like abortion -- threatening our daughters' health and safety, making them vulnerable to coercion, and also enabling sex traffickers and sexual predators to prey on our young daughters. MOMS intervention is critical, as Renee Carlson stated, "the Attorney General of Minnesota has stepped aside, so Minnesota MOMS are stepping in."

Alpha News provided comprehensive coverage of the press conference. You can watch the video and read the article here.

(Dis)respect for Marriage Act Could Gut Religious Freedom

In a recent op-ed for The Washington Post, Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) advocated for the so-called Respect for Marriage Act (RMA), a bill that would cement same-sex marriage in federal law. RMA has already passed the House with bipartisan support and could receive its final vote in the Senate as soon as Monday. Despite the high-sounding language of “respect,” in fact this bill would threaten the religious freedom of millions across the country.

Today’s RMA legislation is a response to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s comments on whether the landmark Obergefell case would be overturned in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson. While that remains very unlikely, those who support same-sex marriage are worried - worried enough to take reckless actions that could irreversibly harm religious freedom.

Supreme Court Justice Alito pointed out in his dissent on Obergefell (a landmark same-sex marriage case) that policies like RMA would “vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy.” Certainly, we cannot allow a bill that will persecute and demonize those who maintain deep religious convictions.

The Respect for Marriage Act aims at repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996. In effect, DOMA blocked same-sex couples from receiving marriage benefits from federal and state governments. Throughout its lifespan, DOMA has been mostly nullified by Supreme Court cases such as Windsor and Obergefell. Today, activists bent on eradicating biblical sexual morès from law want to completely repeal DOMA and codify same-sex marriage in federal law.

Religious freedom is on the line. While supporters of this bill might argue otherwise, the so-called Respect for Marriage Act will become a weapon used against those with deeply-held beliefs in favor of traditional marriage. Many Americans could find themselves in a similar position to Jack Phillips, the heroic cake baker from Colorado who has been sued multiple times for breaking a “non-discrimination” ordinance for only baking cakes for traditional marriage ceremonies.

As Justice Alito wrote in his Obergefell dissent “I assume that those who cling to old beliefs will be able to whisper their thoughts in the recesses of their homes, but if they repeat those views in public, they will risk being labeled as bigots and treated as such by governments, employers, and schools.” Here as so often, Justice Alito is right. There’s a volume of evidence—such as the persecution of Jack Phillips and Baronelle Stutzman—that points to this fact. The so-called Respect for Marriage Act will not protect religious freedom.

While many Republicans voted in favor of this bill in the U.S. House, including Minnesota’s Rep. Tom Emmer, true conservatives should understand what the RMA is capable of. A bill that threatens the religious freedom of Americans with sincere religious beliefs does not belong in the United States. People of faith across the country are worried – and they have reason to be. Minnesota Family Council and other organizations continue to sound the alarm on this bill. Yet as Christians, we know that this perversion of God’s design will not flourish. As Psalm 28:5 states, “because they do not regard the works of the Lord nor the deeds of His hands, He will tear them down and not build them up.” What a beautiful assurance it is to be on the only side that matters—God’s side.

Governor Walz Claims Minnesota is Among 5 Safest States – Actually, We’re No. 27

Anyone paying attention should realize that violent and non-violent crime has seen a massive spike in our state over the last few years. This rise in crime has become a big election issue in this year’s gubernatorial race, but the incumbent governor would have you believe that it’s not that bad after all. In fact, Gov. Walz believes that Minnesota is one of the safest states in the country. Sadly for us, that’s no longer true.

In an interview with Esme Murphy of WCCO at the Minnesota State Fair, Gov. Tim Walz claimed that “there are 45 states with higher crime rates than Minnesota.” That would put Minnesota among states like New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, which are some of the safest places in the country. If this were true, there would be no need for Governor Walz to worry about spiking crime ahead of the November election—and yet pesky voters are still making it an issue! What’s the deal?

According to David Zimmer of the Center for the American Experiment, Gov. Walz’ claim is stretching the truth more than a little bit. “No matter how you manipulate the statistics, you can’t get Minnesota into the top five or even top ten states when it comes to protecting citizens from crime,” Zimmer said in a statement.

U of M Medical Students Pledge to “Promote a Culture of Anti-Racism”

Last month, medical students at the University of Minnesota pledged to “promote a culture of anti-racism” in their inaugural white coat ceremony. In an oath written by the students and overseen by staff, the students committed to “uprooting the legacy and perpetuation of structural violence deeply embedded within the health care system.” Notably, the students did not point to any single example of racism or violence within Minnesota’s health care system.

Along with pledging to be anti-racist, the students also recognized the stolen Dakota land on which they stood. They recognized the inequities created by “colonialism and the gender binary” and pledged to “amplify voices for positive change.”

If you have been particularly good at avoiding nonsense jargon over the last few years, you may be puzzled by the term “anti-racism,” which certainly sounds like a good thing. It sounds like “non-racism,” which is a good thing. But how much difference is there between “non” and “anti!” Ibram X. Kendi, one of the leading exponents of anti-racism and Critical Race Theory, claims that being “not racist” is not enough. Instead, one had to be proactively “anti-racist,” or, as he later expounded, “the only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination.” In short, “anti-racism” is corrective racism, discriminating on the basis of race to somehow “make up” for past discrimination on the basis of race.

Minnesota Schools are Failing their Students. Change Is Needed Now.

Over the last few years, Minnesota school systems have failed students, shunned parents, and turned one of the best school systems in the country into a poorly-functioning bureaucratic nightmare, with notes of ideological indoctrination. It’s time for a change, to return the power to the parents, make schools safer, and provide real quality education. A new plan introduced this week aims to do just that.

Earlier this week, Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen revealed a ten-step plan to save Minnesota schools. In a speech at the Minnesota State Fair, Jensen claimed that schools across the state are failing their students and vowed to “stop thinking that dollars are always going to get us where we have to go.” With recent MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment) results hitting a catastrophic low, immediate reform is clearly necessary.

Governor Walz’s open-wallet approach to fixing this issue has done more harm than good. Walz has funded bad policies that promote CRT and transgender ideology for minors while ignoring plummeting math and reading scores. Worst of all, though, Minnesota schools remained closed much longer than necessary during the pandemic, giving the lie to Walz’s ridiculous claim that “80% of our kids missed less than 10 days of in-class learning.” Because of Walz’s actions and the relentless support of the teacher’s union, Minnesota schools have failed their students in three primary ways.

Minneapolis Teachers Union Advocates for Racial Discrimination

Last week, Alpha News uncovered blatantly racist employment policies in the Minneapolis school district. In a leaked contract voted on in March, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) proposed that white teachers should be laid off before teachers of color in order “to remedy the continuing effects of past discrimination.” That’s right: Minneapolis kids could have their teachers chosen by race rather than ability. Fortunately, parents and teachers alike have reacted strongly to this racist policy and are starting to fight back. Minneapolis schools must be held accountable for this policy, which is in flagrant violation of the Minnesota Constitution.

But MFT President Greta Callahan expressed her extreme pride in the decision to effectively discriminate against white teachers. In her opinion, racial discrimination is not “one of our concerns whatsoever.” Instead, she submits that retention of underrepresented teachers is far more important.

The Minneapolis policy was ratified by members of the Minneapolis Public School board, which receives taxpayer funding. This means that taxpayer dollars will be used to fund explicitly racist employment policies.

James Dickey, a senior trial counsel at Upper Midwest Law Center, said that the agreement “openly discriminates against white teachers based only on the color of their skin, and not their seniority or merit.” He encouraged teachers and taxpayers to stand up to this “state-sponsored racism” in the hope that a lawsuit would follow. Some Minnesotans have already heeded Dickey’s suggestion.

Allina Physician Encourages Kids to Seek Transgender Hormones without Parental Knowledge

The last few years have shown that just because someone has the letters “MD” after their name doesn’t mean they are automatically trustworthy. From disinformation about COVID-19 to gender theory, doctors with radical agendas have proven themselves to be not only wrong, but dangerous as well. Dr. Rose Marie Leslie, a family practitioner at Allina Health in Faribault and a TikTok influencer, serves as a disturbing example.

Using her substantial TikTok following, Dr. Leslie spreads dangerous lies about transgender surgeries and hormones. In one video, she stated that “giving gender-affirming care to transgender children is medically necessary and supports their health and well-being.” Dr. Leslie’s rhetoric and “advice” are dangerous for both children and adults. Her actions suggest that she is not a competent care provider for patients at Allina Health – and we urge that her employment there be reconsidered.

“Gender-affirming care” is a fictitious term that refers to giving puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and transition surgeries to impressionable children and uninformed young adults. It affirms no one and helps nobody. In fact, it should be called “reality-denying care.” In reality, God created people in two distinct sexes, male and female. Each has a different role, but the same value before God. Sadly, the world is a sinful place, where mankind is given over to our depraved desires (Romans 1:24). Transgender activists want to defy God’s wonderful created order by blurring the lines between men and women, and to some extent, they have succeeded, as Dr. Leslie’s popularity testifies.

What I Saw at LEAD 2022

“Whatever you do, do it well.”
“That's how you glorify God in all things.”

These are the words of encouragement that Carl and Angel Larsen, two of our chapel speakers at LEAD 2022 shared with our students last month. The Larsens talked about tangible ways to become well-rounded adults who develop a variety of skills and explained how they pursue excellence as Christian film makers. They also talked about their stand for religious freedom here in Minnesota when they challenged a law that would have compelled Christian creative professionals to create messages that violate their beliefs.

I love seeing students immediately put what they learn into action, and that’s what I saw them do for the rest of the week as they pursued excellence while working on their bills. So much so that at the end of the week, the Chief Clerk of the House dropped by during our final debates and commented on how much he appreciates the LEAD program because the simulation is accurate enough that it’s a valuable training experience for his staff.

Becker Schools Take Steps Against Indoctrination

Stacey DeCorsey, the principal at the Excelsior Elementary School in the Minnetonka Public School District recently issued a rave review of a transgender affirming children’s book called “Jack (not Jackie).” She described this insidious book written for kids as young as five as a “heartwarming picture-book” and a “phenomenal read.” Schools across the nation have been following her pattern, denying the established fact that there are two immutable sexes to pacify a radical minority. Thankfully, some schools are fighting back – inspired in part by Florida’s courageous “Parental Rights in Education” bill. In the Becker, Minnesota public school district, new rules have been proposed that seek to remove materials that indoctrinate children from the classroom.

The Becker district’s resolution promotes the idea that “classrooms must be free of any personal bias or non-school materials favoring any particular group, political ideology, favored class or promoting controversial issues.” In other words, teachers and staff will no longer be permitted to force the talking points of the progressive agenda on students. The responsibility for helping kids navigate tough issues ultimately belongs to the parents, and this resolution goes some way towards that goal. Sadly, as the school board began discussing this issue, dozens of students began protesting, which led to the vote being tabled for an unknown future date. These protests only serve to show what is really going on here – a fight over reality.

Here's the reality: In the beginning, God created the world, and humankind with it. He created humanity in two distinct sexes, male and female. A person’s sex is determined by genetics, not ideology. Reality is defined by how God has created this world, not by how some folks interpret the current social climate.

Minnesota Jury Upholds Religious Freedom in Pharmacist Case 

An Aitkin County jury ruled in favor of religious freedom last week by affirming that Christian Pharmacist, George Badeaux, did not discriminate against his customers based on sex. The jurors found that the plaintiff failed to prove that Badeaux “intentionally refused to do business with her because of her sex,” but required that the pharmacist pay his customer $25,000 in emotional damages. Even so, this decision from Atkin County is a breath of fresh air in the fight for religious freedom and affirms that the Unites States Constitutions is still recognized as the law of the land.

In 2019, after realizing that an earlier contraceptive did not work, Andrea Anderson sought a morning-after pill from Thrifty White drugstore in McGregor, Minnesota. This drug prevents a woman’s ovaries from releasing eggs and changes the lining in the uterine wall. Citing research, pharmacist George Badeaux denied Ms. Anderson the drug because it could end the life of an unborn child. “If I do anything that prevents that egg from implanting in the uterus … the new life will cease to exist,” he said.

Some believe that Mr. Badeaux’s religious convictions have no place in his work. The Minnesota-based Gender Justice advocacy group filed a lawsuit in 2019, and the case was heard three years later. This case isn’t about contraceptives – it’s about the fundamental “first freedom” to act according to the dictates of one’s conscience, guaranteed to all Americans. Our Constitution protects the rights of anyone to exercise their religious beliefs at home or in the workplace. This right, which is unknown in many other countries, does not only benefit Christians but people of every faith or none.

LEAD Minnesota is BACK!

Today marks the end of LEAD, a week-long, labor-intensive, thrilling roller coaster ride for both students and staff. Our students were some of the best we have ever seen, and it will be hard to say goodbye. We pray the skills and friendships that they discovered this week will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

As students began to trickle onto the University of Northwestern’s campus on Sunday evening, the energy and excitement became tangible. Students bid goodbye to their parents and turned their attention to Riley Hall, the academic hub for the week. In room 2308, our newly elected student Representatives found their seats and prepared to drink from the firehose. Senator Andrew Mathews (R-Princeton) led the students in their first introduction to the world of legislation. Questions shot out from the audience, showing exactly how eager each student was to learn how our Minnesota’s legislature really works. As the lights shut off across campus signaling the end of our first day, the excitement felt by students reverberated through the halls.

Monday morning started with an odd sight. As the leaders entered UNW’s dining hall, we saw students bent over the morning newspaper (a strange phenomenon in our screen-addicted generation). Thanks to the diligent work of our Media Track student Eli Johnson, daily editions of the LEAD Examiner were made possible. Each day, the paper included important topics such as world events, the weather, and hilariously misquoted students.

Vice President Harris Compares Pro-Life Laws to Slavery

Vice President Kamala Harris thinks that the Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson is comparable to slavery. “Our country has a history of controlling bodies,” she said in a speech to the NAACP. “Today,” she said, “extremist so-called leaders are criminalizing doctors, punishing women from making healthcare decisions for themselves.” Her remarks were met with thunderous applause. But a post-Roe world is not one of slavery-in fact, it is the opposite. A world without abortion grants the right to life and self-determination to millions of children, including black and brown children, who would never have made it if Kamala Harris had her way.

Slavery is an abhorrent and dangerous evil. In the United States, slavery was a part of our society until almost 100 years after our founding. A slave, as defined by Merriam-Webster is “a person held in forced servitude” and by extension, a person whose rights have been removed, or has no choice in how they live. So Vice President is correct to say that slavery is the ownership of human bodies. But is she correct to say that abortion is much the same thing? Let’s dive deeper.

Certain rights have been established in our nation. Our founding documents remind us that God has given us the rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” which cannot be taken away by state and federal governments without due process of law. Enslaved people in the United States were certainly denied all these rights, without due process. One right that is not guaranteed in the constitution, however, is the right to choose to kill your child. If a woman does not have this right (which she most certainly does not), then abortion is morally abhorrent. Pro-lifers, then, are not controlling a woman’s body; we are merely protecting the body of an innocent child whose life is under threat.

Attorney General Race Heats Up in Minnesota

In 2018, Keith Ellison won the Minnesota race for Attorney General against Doug Wardlow. He ran, as the Washington Post recorded, on the platform of taking on the Trump administration and protecting so-called abortion rights. Today, his view on the right to abortion has become even more radical in the face of the recent Dobbs v. Jackson decision. In a recent press meeting, Ellison said that he would defend the rights of any woman or doctor who received or preformed an abortion in Minnesota. This included, he said, denying extradition requests from surrounding states.

Ellison’s recent statements exacerbate the need for new leadership in our state. Now, Minnesotans are faced with a choice, and abortion will be a key factor in the upcoming November election.

On the Republican side of the issue, there are two candidates vying to replace Ellison. The two candidates will face off in an August 9 primary, and the winner will take on Ellison in the general election in November. The Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the state, and it is their role enforce laws where necessary. Both Republican candidates are pro-life, but they approach the topic in different ways.

Don't Buy the Propaganda: Matt Birk Makes Sense on Abortion

As the 2022 gubernatorial campaign heats up, Governor Walz and his campaign have stepped up the attacks on pro-life candidate for Lieutenant Governor Matt Birk. The fact is, however, that Governor Walz and his running mate Peggy Flanagan are the real radicals on this issue.

While Tim Walz has bragged about being so pro-abortion that Nancy Pelosi told him to tone it down, most Minnesotans support commonsense limitations on abortion, such as a ban on taxpayer funding for abortion, and a ban on abortions after the first trimester. While there is difference of views in good faith among the pro-life majority of Minnesotans as to how exactly to bring about the pro-life future, it is Walz and Flanagan - with their support for taxpayer-funded abortion up until the moment of birth - who are far removed from the views of actual Minnesotans.

So when the Walz campaign releases clips of Matt Birk talking about his pro-life views, and the establishment media puts it in the headlines, that in no way indicates that Matt Birk is wrong and Tim Walz is right. Let’s look at the facts.

Elizabeth Warren Targets Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers

This week, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) began a crusade against pregnancy resource centers. In doing so, she made it clear that her goal is not to help women in trouble. Instead, she intends to control them by ensuring that abortion clinics are the only option for women in crisis pregnancy situations.

Let’s look at what pregnancy resource centers actually do. Save the Storks, a mobile resource center for pregnant women works non-stop to inform women about alternatives to abortion. They provide safe, free, and accessible healthcare to women who are in need, including ultra-sounds, counseling, STI screenings, and pregnancy tests. Organizations like these are working towards promoting life by providing alternatives to abortion. And it is organizations like these that Senator Warren wants to shut down. Warren authored a bill with Senator Menendez (D-NJ) that would financially penalize centers that she says “mislead and deceive patients seeking abortion care.” According to a NARAL undercover investigation, misleading patients means referring to the child in the womb as a “baby” and telling a pregnant woman that she is now a mother.

Warren’s plan includes using the Federal Trade Commission to act as an “abortion disinformation board” that will shut down any organization that violates its standards, according to the National Review. This Orwellian bill gives the FTC the power to press penalties up to $100,000 dollars, a huge sum for non-profit organizations.

Pro-Life Legal Group Responds to Minnesota Abortion Ruling

MINNEAPOLIS – This week, a Minnesota district court judge in St. Paul issued a sweeping ruling gutting many of Minnesota’s commonsense regulations on abortion. Renee Carlson, General Counsel of True North Legal, an independent legal initiative associated with Minnesota Family Council, released the following statement on the ruling:

True North Legal is deeply disappointed in the Minnesota District Court's opinion this week and its disregard for the rule of law in holding that many of Minnesota's laws that protect women and girls, including significant protective laws like parental notification, informed consent, and physician only law, are unconstitutional. This opinion completely disregards the safety of women and young girls. The opinion relies on the erroneous holdings in Doe v. Gomez in an attempt to eviscerate critical and reasonable legal protections, and will be hugely consequential to the health and standards of care for all women and young girls.

This opinion is revealing--demonstrating that the abortion industry and the current administration, including our own Attorney General, will do everything in their power to remove any checks on abortion on demand, showing complete disregard for women and girls, the people these laws were created to protect. If the decision stands, it opens the door for continued violence against women who choose not to get an abortion against their partner's demands, as well as a license for men to prey on young girls, relying on abortion for their rescue.

Breaking: Biden's Radical Plan to Increase Abortion Nationwide

Today, President Biden announced he will take executive action to expand abortion in America. The Executive Order comes in response to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which just two weeks ago overturned Roe v. Wade.

John Helmberger, CEO of Minnesota Family Council released the following statement:

“Today’s news is tragic: the President of the United States is going out of his way to support an industry committed to ending the lives of the youngest Americans. And yet, this is little surprise. The Biden Administration and Democrat leadership are ‘all abortion, all the time.’ With the Supreme Court’s decision to topple that shrine, the Biden Administration will do anything to preserve its radical agenda.