As we enter 2021, we’ve taken some time to look back on our most popular blog posts from 2020 here on the Family Beacon. We are so grateful for everyone who supported our work and took a stand for life, family, and religious freedom in the past year!
1. No Joke: Saint Paul City Council to Consider Counseling Ban on April 1 Without Public Comment. In the middle of a statewide Stay at Home order, the Saint Paul City Council proposed a counseling ban limiting what a licensed counselor can say to a client who is struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria. The remote nature of the meeting prevented members of the public from speaking out against this infringement on free speech and government interference in counselor-client relationships. The city council voted to adopt the plan in June.
2. Attorney General Ellison Uses a Crisis to Promote Mail-Order Abortion. After Governor Tim Walz gave the abortion industry special treatment by exempting them from lockdowns, Attorney General Keith Ellison joined 20 other attorneys general in sending a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn requesting the removal of safety regulations on the abortion pill, ignoring the known dangers of chemical abortion.
3. No, Churches are not a "Major Source" of Coronavirus Cases. Places of worship faced targeting from state and local governments across the US during 2020. In July, the New York Times stated, “Churches were eager to reopen. Now they are a major source of coronavirus cases.” However, the numbers simply didn’t match that claim.
4. Abortion is Not "Between a Woman and Her Doctor." Abortion activists insist that abortion is a decision “between a woman and her doctor.” This claim makes two false assumptions: first that the woman seeking an abortion is the only person affected by her decision, and secondly, that abortion is performed exclusively for medical reasons.
5. The Backlash Against Drag Queen Story Hour is Increasing. Following an alarming number of “Drag Queen Story Hour” events at libraries across the country in 2019, a Missouri lawmaker introduced legislation in January 2020 that would give a parental advisory board final say over library events and would penalize libraries that expose children to material that is not age-appropriate.
6. MN House Targets Abortion Protestors: A Sign of Things to Come? In February, the Minnesota House Judiciary Committee voted to send a bill to the House floor that would target sidewalk counselors who work outside abortion clinics to help women access compassionate alternatives to abortion. Bills like this one are a reminder of why the pro-life majority in the Minnesota Senate is so important to the fight to protect life!
7. Supreme Court Allows Nevada to Favor Casinos Over Churches. In July, the Supreme Court denied a Nevada church’s petition to block Governor Steve Sisolak’s restrictions limiting religious gatherings to 50 people, regardless of the size of the building, even though casinos in Nevada were allowed to open at 50% capacity without a strict number cap. Since Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation, the Supreme Court has taken a much stronger stance on the protection of religious freedom, and last week the court ordered Governor Sisolak to respond to the church’s challenge.
8. Why Good Christian Girls Choose Abortion. Wendy Banister Bonano, executive director of Gateway Women's Care explains why many young women who have been raised in the church choose abortion and what parents and churches can do to help these young women and build a culture of life among the next generation.
9. Minneapolis: Say NO to Public Nudity in Parks. In August, the Minneapolis Park Board held a hearing on allowing female toplessness in parks for any and all reasons, putting a radical sexual agenda that seeks to erase the distinctions between men and women ahead of children and families. The ban passed in early December.
10. There is Nothing Moderate About Abortion. During the Democratic Primaries, a number of candidates were described as “abortion moderates.” However well-meaning arguments for a “moderate” abortion may be, they are logically inconsistent. There can be no moderate argument for an inherently radical position. Abortion with some restrictions inevitably leads to abortion with no restrictions.
