With the disruption of the past few weeks, it can be easy to forget what day it is, so let us do you a favor by reminding you that tomorrow is April Fools’ Day, that delightful day dedicated to pranks and jokes. Unfortunately, it is no joke that tomorrow the Saint Paul City Council is introducing a counseling ban that would prohibit licensed therapists from helping their clients explore all options to address questions over sexual orientation.Due to the remote nature of this meeting, the public is able to listen, but not to commentand voice their concerns over the proposal.
During National Adoption Month, let’s talk about how religious freedom is crucial to making sure children find a home.
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells his followers, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Throughout its history, the church has paved the wayin caring for vulnerable members of society. Among the most vulnerable members of our society are children who are awaiting families, whether because their parents have died, they have been placed for adoption, or their families are currently unable to care for them.
Children in need of families include children in foster care, as well as babies whose mothers are facing unplanned pregnancies and choose to place their child for adoption. To be pro-life is to value and cherish the life of every individual, regardless of age and regardless of place. This doesn’t end when the baby is born. Recognizing that every life has value because every person is created in the image of God shapes our attitudes toward children who are adopted or in need of adopted families, families who adopt, and biological mothers who place their child for adoption. While not every family is called to adopt, to be pro-life is to be pro-adoption.
MINNEAPOLIS – Today the Minneapolis City Council voted to enact a ban on so-called “conversion therapy” after holding a public meeting on the subject earlier this week. The ban is an attack on individual choice in health care as well as on the constitutional rights of therapists, patients, and families. Minneapolis’s ban could prevent mental health professionals from helping patients explore all options when addressing questions over sexual orientation and gender identity, something they should be free to do.
“Young people should have access to voluntary, compassionate, client-driven care in the field of sexual identity that pursues the goals of the patient, including living in accordance with biblical teaching on sexuality or becoming more comfortable with their biological sex,” said John Helmberger, CEO at Minnesota Family Council. “Throughout this debate, we’ve heard from men and women with moving stories of how sexual orientation change counseling helped them meet their therapeutic goals. At the end of the day, the Minneapolis City Council just outlawed a type of mental health care with no real justification.”
Recently, Superior became the eighth Wisconsin city to instate a counseling ban on “conversion therapy,” preventing teens who are struggling with unwanted homosexual attraction from seeking the help they want. The Star Tribunereports that a number of Minnesota cities are considering similar measures, after a state-wide ban failed to pass last session. If this is the case, it is certainly cause for concern, as these counseling bans are an attack on free speech, and an intrusion upon counselor-client relationships.
This morning, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Carl and Angel Larsen, St. Cloud videographers whose right to tell stories that reflect their deeply-held religious beliefs was thrown into question after a district court decision last year, can now proceed in their battle.
This is great news for religious freedom! The Larsens, who were featured guests at our COURAGE TO STAND event earlier this year, are not just ordinary videographers. They want to tell a story with each video they create - and they want to honor God in the process. But under Minnesota’s draconian “anti-discrimination laws” they could face jail time if they choose not to film same-sex weddings!
