Last month Planned Parenthood released their 2019-20 report.The abortion giant’s report says a lot about their priorities and those priorities are not good for anyone except the abortion industry. Between October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2019, Planned Parenthood committed 354,871 abortions, over 9,000 more than they committed the previous year. As we recently noted,Planned Parenthood has also expanded into the area of “gender medicine” with 200 locations providing cross-sex hormones.
The 2019-20 fiscal year was profitable for Planned Parenthood, with their report revealing over $2 billion in net assets, up from $1.9 billion the previous year. Meanwhile, their super PAC spent $45 million in the 2020 elections. As they thrive financially and spend money supporting radical pro-abortion candidates, real services provided to women continue to decrease. They provided 23,000 fewer breast screenings and pap tests than they did the previous year, and 4,700 fewer well-woman exams.
Remember when Minnesota Family Council was suspended from Twitter for a week for correctly identifying Dr. Rachel Levine as a man who identifies as a woman? This week it was Senator Rand Paul's (R-KY) turn to attract heat for asking Dr. Levine a perfectly reasonable question during his hearings to be confirmed as Deputy HHS Secretary.
SENATOR PAUL: Dr. Levine, do you believe that minors are capable of making such a life-changing decision as changing one’s sex?
DR. LEVINE: Well, Senator thank you for your interest in this question. Transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field with robust research and standards of care that have been developed. And if I am fortunate enough to be confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of Health, I will look forward to working with you and your office and coming to your office and discussing the particulars of the standards of care for transgender medicine.
Not content with evading the question once, Levine refused to answer when the question was put again, repeating almost the exact same non-answer.
Wow! We're amazed that thousands of Minnesotans took action on the three action alerts we sent out on Monday. I want to give you an update on the three major threats to life, family, and religious freedom that we saw unfold this week. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the so-called “Equality Act,” two Senate Committees held confirmation hearings for President Biden’s HHS nominee, Xavier Becerra, who is known for using his position as California Attorney General to attack the pro-life movement, and here in Minnesota, another hearing on a bill mandating “comprehensive” sex education in K-12 classrooms across the state moved that piece of legislation forward.
1. The Inequality Act
Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, which, if it passes the Senate, would make sexual orientation and gender identity a protected status under the Civil Rights Act. By equating subjective, fluid, and invisible qualities like sexual orientation and gender identity with race and ethnicity, this act presents a serious threat to religious freedom, free speech, and conscience rights. Additionally, it radically expands abortion “rights,” threatens the safety and privacy of women and children, and would destroy opportunities for female athletes.
Recent research from Gallup found that 5.6% of the US population identifies as LGBT, representing a 4.5% increase from 2017, the last year that Gallup collected data on this. Gallup Research points out that one of the reasons for this rise is that Generation Z is more likely to identify as LGBT than older generations. Currently, one in six Gen Zers identify as LGBT.
Of that one in six, 72% say that they are bisexual. Abigail Shrier has pointed out the way that LGBT-affirming curriculum in schools often reduces maleness and femaleness to rigid stereotypes, leading many students to embrace an LGBT identity because they do not feel like they fit those stereotypes. Shrier writes,
All this purported education encourages adolescents to focus relentlessly on their own gender identities and sexual orientations. It encourages students to look constantly for landmark feelings or impulses, anything that might point toward “genderfluid,” “genderqueer,” “asexual,” or “non-binary.” And it encourages the subtle formation of two camps: us and them. The imaginary divide between those who fit perfectly into cartoonish gender stereotypes and those who don’t. The dauntless young, who welcome different gender identities and sexual orientations, versus their phobic elders, who don’t.
When male and female are reduced to cartoonish stereotypes and students are encouraged to constantly question their identity andsexuality, students are likely to fixate on the slightest indication that they might be LGBT, even if they are attracted to members of the opposite sex. Given this, it’s not surprising that nearly three-quarters of young adults who identify as LGBT describe themselves as bisexual.
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote next week on House Resolution 5 (H.R. 5), the so-called “Equality Act,”a measure that will have disastrous consequences for women, children, people of faith – all Americans.
H.R. 5 adds the legally undefined “sexual orientation and gender identity” (SOGI) to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other federal non-discrimination laws. The bill redefines “sex” to no longer mean the biological “male or female.” Instead, “sex” would include sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
H.R. 5 brings the police power of the federal government against those who believe the biological truth of God's design, that "male and female He created them" (Genesis 5:2). The bill labels Christian beliefs about marriage, sexuality, and family “discriminatory.” It empowers the federal government to punish disagreement on this important issue.
This dangerous bill provides no religious exemptions. In fact, it explicitly exempts the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as a defense for violations.
In the past twelve months, COVID-19-related lockdowns and school closures have highlighted education achievement gaps throughout Minnesota and brought increased attention to the struggles facing families in failing public schools. In response to this, Minnesota lawmakers recently proposed an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution stating that all children have a “fundamental right” to a public education. Unfortunately, the proposed amendment offers no real solutions but instead threatens parental rights in Minnesota and doubles down on failed educational policies by providing legal pressure to pour more taxpayer funding into them.
Proposed by retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page and Minneapolis Federal Reserve head Neel Kashkari, the Page Amendment would add a right to a public educationin the Minnesota Constitution. Currently, Minnesota’s constitution says,
The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it is the duty of the legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public schools. The legislature shall make such provisions by taxation or otherwise as will secure a thorough and efficient system of public schools throughout the state.
The Page Amendment would replace this with,
All children have a fundamental right to a quality public education that fully prepares them with the skills necessary for participation in the economy, our democracy, and society, as measured against uniform achievement standards set forth by the state. It is a paramount duty of the state to ensure quality public schools that fulfill this fundamental right.
Pro-abortion lawmakers in Congress recently called on the FDA to lift abortion pill safety requirements.This comes after the Supreme Court’s January decision ending months of back-and-forth over the attempt to deregulate the abortion pill amid pandemic-related lockdowns.Because of their known risks, chemical abortions are regulated under the FDA’s Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategy (REMS) protocol. Among other things, this means that women cannot obtain abortion pills without an in-person examinationand the first of the two pills must be taken in the presence of a medical provider.
After the Court determined that the state did not have the authority to waive these guidelines, pandemic or no pandemic, members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee sent a letter to the FDA petitioning them to remove abortion pill safety requirements.
It is no secret that Planned Parenthood has a history of disregarding human life and dignity.While committing over 300,000 abortions per year,the abortion giant has been caught injuring women disregarding their safety, aiding sex-traffickers,and profiting off of the body parts of unborn babies who have been killed in abortions, when they are not disposing of those babies as medical waste.Planned Parenthood’s recent expansion into “gender medicine” once again demonstrates their willingness to put profits over people as they dole out harmful “treatments” to teenagers with almost no questions asked.
Abigail Shrier recently wrote that about her interactions with a former Planned Parenthood “reproductive health assistant” whose job was to screen patients and take down their health history. The former employee told Shrier, “[Planned Parenthood’s] recent roles in trans activism are abhorrent,” explaining that during her 18 months working for Planned Parenthood, an average of 1-2 girls arrived at the clinic seeking testosterone every day.
Minnesota’s students deserve better than “comprehensive” sex education (CSE) in their K-12 classrooms, and yet, there is once again a push to mandate it throughout the state. Representative Sydney Jordan recently introduced H.F. 358, a bill that would require the development and implementation of a CSE curriculum in K-12 schools. The bill is expected to pass the House Education Policy Committee during tomorrow’s hearing, though there is a chance it could be tabled.
There isn’t one set definition for CSE, but in general, CSE includes information and classroom discussion on gender identity, sexual expression, sex practices, and abortion access. Examples of CSE curriculum which have been proposed or adopted have included programs that begin sex-ed in kindergarten, lessons designed for middle-schoolers involving sexual role-playing, detailed descriptions of sexual acts, and a book called It’s Perfectly Normal, with illustrations so explicit that they were censored by Facebook.
On February 3, the Minnesota Senate Education Policy Committee heard SF 96, the Save Women’s Sports Bill. Under state and federal law, the legislature has a duty to protect female athletes from unfair discriminatory practices throughout the state. SF 96 does just that, resolving misguided policies regarding eligibility for K-12 athletes. Since 2014 organizations and individuals in Minnesota have aggressively asserted that male athletes have a right to play on female sports teams – which is inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution as well as federal and state law, specifically protections afforded to students in Title IX. And, based on President Biden’s very first Executive Order, SF 96 is now a necessity if women’s sports are to continue.
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation. This order amounts to an attack on biology that will severely affect women and girls. Let’s be clear: any and all forms of discrimination are wrong and we should work toward resolution. However, in the name of equality this executive order discriminates against nearly half of the population – women – by requiring the head of each federal agency, in consultation with the Attorney General, to “revise, suspend, or rescind such agency actions, or promulgate new agency actions, as necessary to fully implement statutes” that contradict current legal protections against sex discrimination.
On Wednesday, Senator Carrie Ruud’s bill to protect girls’ sports here in Minnesota was heard by the Education Finance and Policy Committee. The bill clarifies Title IX and existing Minnesota laws that protect opportunities for girls in sports, stating that a school that allows a male athlete to compete in women’s or girls’ athletic events is in violation of these provisions. Senator Ruud explained that she graduated from high school prior to the passage of Title IX and experienced firsthand the lack of athletic opportunities for young women. “If we continue to allow biological males to play on girls’ sports teams, we will no longer have female athletes and the very thing we fought for… in Title IX will be gone,” she said.
Beth Stelzer, founder of Save Women’s Sports, testified in support of the bill, sharing about her experience competing in USA Powerlifting, which is currently being sued because they did not allow a biological male to compete in the women’s division at the Minnesota State Bench Press Championship in 2019.“Fairness, privacy, and safety for females must be ensured and protected, and like most women, I would never have started my fitness journey if I would have to compete against males. There would have been no point. I’m sure my teenage self would have felt the same way,” Stelzer told the committee.
According to recent polling data from Marist, even though the majority of respondents described themselves as “pro-choice,” a majority of Americans support significant restrictions on abortion. As President Biden, congressional democrats, and pro-abortion lawmakers in many statespush for radical abortion laws, they are increasingly out of step with the American public. Three-quarters of the Marist’s respondents were in favor of significant restrictions on abortion, including 55% of respondents who described themselves as “pro-choice.”
Marist’s data also found that 65% of Americans oppose or strongly oppose taxpayer-funded abortions, and 77% oppose the use of U.S. tax dollars to pay for abortions in other nations. Just over a week after he took office, President Biden reversed the Mexico City Policy, which prevented the funding of abortions overseas. He and his allies in Congress have also set their sights on ending the Hyde Amendment, a pro-life rider that prevents federal funds from being spent on abortion. Based on Marist’s data, the Hyde Amendment and the Mexico City Policy are supported by the majority of Americans. Similarly, according to Marist, only 15% of Americans support abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, yet the recent push to codify Roe v. Wade would do just that. The radical pro-abortion policies being championed by President Biden and his political allies are not only unspeakable wrong, they are also incredibly unpopular.
Following up on his campaign promises to radically advance the abortion lobby’s agenda, President Biden has reversed the Mexico City Policy and rolled back the Title X Protect Life Rule. This means that U.S. taxpayer dollars will once again be used to pay for abortions in nations that receive aid from the United States, and will also be given to abortion businesses here in the U.S. via the Title X program.
The Mexico City Policy has been implementedby pro-life Presidents since the 1980sto prevent federal funding of non-government organizations (NGOs) that perform or promote abortions. Under the Trump administration, this policy was expanded so that it applied not just to USAID, but to any federal agency that distributes foreign health assistance. President Biden’s order reverses this, allowing taxpayer dollars to be used to export abortion to developing countries.
This orderalso rolls back a rule blocking Title X funds from going to abortion providers and prohibiting Title X recipients from referring patients to abortion providers. The Title X Family Planning program is intended to offer assistance to low-income and uninsured women and families. From 2013 to 2015, Planned Parenthood received $1.5 billion in federal funds through the Title X program. The Protect Life Rule prevented this from continuing and instead supported providers who do not offer or refer for abortion. Yesterday’s executive order means that Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers will once again be able to receive these funds.
Twitter has slapped Minnesota Family Council with a temporary suspension for referring to Dr. Rachel Levine, President Biden’s nominee for Assistant Health Secretary, as a “man who identifies as a woman.” Although this statement is undeniably true (Dr. Levine, originally Richard, changed his name to “Rachel” in 2012), Twitter appears to believe that this tweet is hate speech.
Let’s be clear: Rachel Levine is a man who identifies as a woman. There is no process by which a man can become a woman.Thus, saying that a transgender-identified person has not changed their biological sex is not ill will but simple fact. God’s beautiful creation means that each of us is male or female, and we must affirm this truth even as we respond compassionately and with Christlike love to people going through gender dysphoria.
Last week marked the 48th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling. While pro-lifers across the nation grieved the loss of life brought about by the ruling, pro-abortion politicians took the occasion to celebrate abortion and promise its further expansion. President Biden issued a statement reiterating his campaign promise to codify Roe v. Wade into law, and here in Minnesota, pro-abortion DFL lawmakers marked the anniversary of Roe v. Wade by introducing a bill that grants a “fundamental right to abortion.” In a statement issued on Twitter on January 22, Representative Kelly Morrison lamented the conservative majority on the Supreme Court and announced she was introducing the Protect Reproductive Options Act.
Representatives Alice Hausman and Mike Freiberg have joined Morrison as co-authors of the Protect Reproductive Options Act. In addition to establishing a “fundamental right” to abortion, the bill would prohibit “interference with reproductive decision making” in the form of regulation, including regulation of facilities or services. Planned Parenthood released a statement last week praising the bill
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.
We live in a sexually broken society. Increasingly, sex is divorced from marriage, marriage is redefined, children are taught that gender identity exists apart from biological realities, and our culture struggles to even acknowledge that men and women are different. It’s a tragedy and one that requires the church to respond. Writing at The Public Discourse, Timothy O’Malleyrecently observed that at least one aspect of this sexual brokenness, “hookup culture,” is not simply about sexual excess, but is driven by fear of commitment and vulnerability, anxiety over the future, and ultimately, hopelessness. O’Malley argues that this anxiety and fear create a greater willingness to engage in casual sex. Behind much of the brokenness of the world around us is fear and despair.
O’Malley points out that, in order to respond to this, we need to commit ourselves to a high view of marriage and family. He writes,
What if religious and conservative higher education ceased speaking about marriage and family life as an accomplishment and began to treat marriage and children as that which enable human flourishing and a meaningful future?
All too often, marriage and family are treated as something extra, rather than something that is essential. God’s design for marriage, family, and sexuality is not theicing on the cake but necessary to human flourishing and part of the bedrock of a strong and stable society.
Within hours of President Joe Biden’s inauguration yesterday, he signed an executive order advancing the transgender agenda. Expanding on last summer’s Bostock decision, which redefined “sex” to include sexual orientation and gender identity under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, this order requires all federal agencies to accept this definition of sex in their policies against sex discrimination. When the Supreme Court ruled on Bostock, the majority held that “bathrooms, locker rooms or anything else of that kind” were questions for another day. Yesterday’s executive order makes these questions a pressing concern for today.
The order specifically states that Bostock’s definition of sex should be applied to Title IX as well as the Fair Housing Act. This will mean that federal policy will require male athletes who identify as female to be allowed to compete on girls’ sports teams, and that women’s shelters would not be allowed to deny housing to biological men who identify as women. The Biden administration has set a course to deny athletic opportunities to our nation’s girls, as well as disregard the safety and privacy of women and children.
Earlier today, Joseph R. Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. Many of our fellow citizens are celebrating, and even gleeful. Still others are mourning, worried, perhaps even fearful.
I am neither of those things. Instead, I have resolved to strive to be three things, and I would like to invite all believers to join me in those today.
I am resolved to be hopeful—not because of who sits in the White House, but because of Who sits on the throne of Heaven. All governing authorities on Earth are subject to our God as the governing Authority. If I place my hope in any political leader of any party, I will always be disappointed. If I place my hope in Christ alone, I will never be disappointed.
What’s more, His light usually shines brightest in the darkest places.
I am resolved to be faithful. I think often about the book of Daniel, and specifically this verse: “The people who know their God will stand firm and take action,” (Daniel 11:32b). Daniel is a beautiful example of a faithful servant of God who obeyed every command of his governing authority, the king – except one command. In other words, he rendered unto Caesar everything that was Caesar’s. But when the king tried to take what was God’s (Daniel’s worship), Daniel had no choice except to disobey the king in order to obey God. And God blessed him and cared for him.
It’s the New Year! My team and I are rejoicing in God’s goodness to us in many ways in the year now behind us, despite the extraordinary challenges and disruptions we’ve all faced, as we look ahead to what He has in store for us in 2021.
Many contemplate what’s ahead this year, including inevitable challenges and difficulties, with anxiety or even dread. But not us. There are definitely challenges for us, like everyone else, but we view them as opportunities to “shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life”, something the world around us desperately needs (Philippians 2:15-16).
But here’s the thing about shining as lights in a world that urgently needs that light: we shine as long as, and only as long as, we hold fast to God’s Word, “the word of life.” If we’re holding fast, we’re shining; if we’re not holding fast, we’re not shining. It’s that simple.
